▶ Watch Video: Prosecution calls first witness in Hunter Biden’s criminal trial The jury has been seated.
The jury has been seated in Hunter Biden’s federal gun trial, and in opening statements Tuesday, the prosecution began, “No one is above the law,” and “the law makes no distinction for Hunter Biden,” the son of the president of the United States.
Prosecutor Derek Hines acknowledged Hunter Biden’s addiction, saying, “addiction may not be a choice, but lying to buy a gun is.” Defense attorney Abbe Lowell, meanwhile, argued that drug addicts often have a “deep state of denial about their drug use.”
After roughly 90 minutes of opening statements, prosecutors called their first witness, FBI special agent Erika Jensen, and played several audio excerpts from Hunter Biden’s memoir, “Beautiful Things,” that detail the times he said he used drugs.
Hunter Biden’s sister, Ashley Biden, and first lady Jill Biden are in the courtroom on Tuesday, as they were on Monday. Hunter Biden’s wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, and Hollywood lawyer Kevin Morris are also in court. While the excerpts were being played, some of the jurors grimaced while Ashley Biden and Jill Biden reacted emotionally, with Melissa Cohen Biden offering support to the first lady and the first lady putting her arm around Ashley Biden’s shoulder. Ashley Biden eventually left the courtroom.
President Biden is not at the trial. He gave remarks Tuesday afternoon about executive action on immigration, and he’s scheduled to leave soon for France in order to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day Thursday.
The president’s son was indicted by a federal grand jury in September after a diversion agreement for a felony gun offense and a plea deal related to misdemeanor tax charges unraveled when Judge Noreika questioned whether the agreement would enable Hunter Biden to avoid potential future charges.
He now faces three felony charges stemming from his alleged illegal purchase and possession of a firearm in 2018 while he was a drug user. He has pleaded not guilty.
In a roughly 23-minute opening statement, Hines spoke about the firearms permit form that Hunter Biden filled out to purchase the Colt Cobra .38 Special revolver in 2018, accusing Hunter of lying on the form about whether he was a drug user when he bought the gun.
“No one is allowed to lie on a form like that,” Hines said in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware.
Hines outlined sensitive personal details about Hunter’s addiction, introducing text messages where Hunter asked for drugs and called himself “delusional,” a “user” and an “addict.
