Hunter Biden: "Guilty on all counts"
The 12-person jury verdict form as released by the court moments after the decision was announced (Image courtesy of the United States District Court for the State of Delaware).
The full impact of the verdict is yet to be determined and no one can deny it’s coming at a crucial time in the Presidential re-election campaign.
Article by Grace Sawyer, Senior White House Correspondent
WILMINGTON, Del. - At around 11:30 am Tuesday, President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden was confronted with a guilty verdict on all three federal felony gun charges revolving around the purchase of a firearm while using narcotics back in 2018. In total, spread between yesterday evening and this morning, the jury only deliberated for three hours before reaching the guilty verdict.
As the news was announced in the Wilmington, Delaware courtroom, Hunter Biden stood with his arms crossed as the verdict was delivered, briefly smiled at his legal team and then hugged lawyers Abbe Lowell and David Kolansky, certainly thanking them for their work on the case. As he rose he kissed his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, before speaking with family and friends as he exited the courthouse. Biden exited between his wife and the first lady, Dr. Jill Biden, who arrived at his son’s verdict announcement late. Now, Mr. Biden faces a maximum possible sentence of upwards of twenty years incarcerated and nearly $750,000 in fines. However, the severity of his punishment will be determined at a later date with Judge Maryellen Noreika stating that she would be setting his sentencing later this year, notably closer to Election Day.
This remarkably short case has shocked many, with the entire proceedings lasting only eight days. It brought into light Mr. Biden’s addictions to cocaine and alcohol in the wake of his brother Beau’s death in 2015 as well as details of prior intimate relationships. This is the second case Mr. Biden is currently involved in, the second of which being nine federal tax evasion charges, which he is set to stand trial in later this year.
During this trying time, President Joe Biden has noted his support and pride he holds for his son but has also vowed to not pardon him if he was found guilty and to accept the ruling of the case. How are these untimely courtroom appearances going to impact President Biden’s re-election attempt? The blowback could be severe, possibly impacting the President's first planned debate on June 27th and more immediately, President Biden is set to speak on gun violence later today in Washington DC, which may prove more difficult after his son’s conviction. The argument has also been made that someone with felony convictions should not be associated with the White House, a claim originally directed at presidential candidate Donald Trump, which may be in vain after Mr. Biden’s public trial, guilty verdict and his ties to the presidency. Conversely, this conviction also serves as evidence that President Biden does not control the Department of Justice, as his opponents have baselessly claimed in the past.
The full impact of the verdict is yet to be determined and no one can deny it’s coming at a crucial time in the Presidential re-election campaign. The only thing that is certain is that Hunter Biden is guilty.