The long-awaited federal gun trial of President Joe Biden’s son Hunter kicked off Monday with jury selection, marking the start of court proceedings that will thrust the First Family’s personal struggles into the spotlight just as the 2024 election heats up.
First Lady Jill Biden sat in the front row of the Delaware courtroom as her troubled son, the eldest of the Biden children, faces charges over a 2018 firearm purchase made during the depths of his crack cocaine addiction.
President Biden issued a statement expressing his “boundless love” for Hunter and “confidence in him,” while asserting he would have no further comment on the active case as both a father and commander-in-chief.
“Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today,” the president said of Hunter, who spent the weekend with his parents before the trial’s start.
Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to three felony charges – lying on a federal form to purchase the gun, making a false statement that he was not then using drugs, and illegally possessing the firearm for 11 days in 2018.
His defense team argues he is being unfairly targeted for politicized prosecution by his father’s Justice Department, after a previously negotiated “sweetheart” plea deal fell apart last year.
The collapse of that agreement, initially brokered after a years-long federal investigation into Hunter’s business affairs, has now set the stage for a high-stakes trial playing out in the heat of the 2024 presidential race.
Hunter Biden’s trial promises to further amplify scrutiny over his family’s controversial conduct while his father was in office.
As jury selection commenced Monday, the presiding judge quizzed potential jurors on their ability to remain impartial given the political context, including questions about Hunter being prosecuted due to his father’s position.