During the final hearing before Hunter Biden’s upcoming trial in Delaware for gun charges, a judge made significant rulings that will determine the admissible evidence for the jury. These rulings, which pave the way for the inclusion of contents from a laptop left at a Delaware repair shop and evidence regarding his drug use, have cleared the path for the trial proceedings scheduled to commence on June 3.
Prosecutors have rebutted Hunter Biden’s attorneys’ claim that some of the material on the laptop is not genuine. They argued that the attorneys have failed to present any evidence of this to the court. In 2019, a computer repair shop owner turned over a laptop to the FBI, claiming it belonged to Hunter Biden. The shop owner also provided a copy of the laptop data to Rudy Giuliani, former lawyer for President Trump. Hunter Biden subsequently filed a lawsuit against Giuliani, accusing him of hacking data from the laptop. Although Giuliani has publicly displayed the laptop, his spokesperson denied any manipulation of the drive when the lawsuit was filed. The lawsuit remains unresolved.
During the pre-trial conference, U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika made decisions that were favorable to both sides. Hunter Biden’s attorneys were allowed to raise certain concerns regarding the laptop evidence during the trial. However, Judge Noreika agreed with the prosecutors regarding the burden of proof for Hunter Biden’s drug use at the time of purchasing a gun in 2018. According to her ruling, the prosecutors will need to demonstrate that Hunter Biden was either using or addicted to drugs around the time of the purchase. On the other hand, the defense argued that the prosecutors should be required to prove that Hunter Biden was using drugs on the precise day he bought the gun in question.
Special counsel David Weiss has accused Hunter Biden of unlawfully acquiring and possessing a Colt Cobra 388PL revolver for a duration of 11 days. Furthermore, it is alleged that he provided false information on a gun purchase form by denying his status as an unlawful drug user. Hunter Biden, President Biden’s son, has entered a plea of not guilty in response to these charges, which were filed in Delaware.
The judge made some rulings in favor of Hunter Biden as well. He stated that prosecutors cannot bring up Hunter Biden’s tax case in California, his child support case in Arkansas, or his discharge from the Navy. Additionally, they are not allowed to mention his “extravagant lifestyle.” However, they are permitted to discuss how he paid for drugs.
The trial is scheduled to commence on June 3rd following the dismissal of Hunter Biden’s attempt to have the charges dropped by a federal appeals court. He contended that the charges were both “unprecedented” and “unconstitutional,” and that they violated a diversion agreement he had previously reached with federal prosecutors. However, this agreement fell apart in July when a judge declined to approve it.
During Friday’s hearing, tensions rose as the topic of the laptop and a potential discrepancy on the form that Hunter Biden supposedly signed when purchasing the gun came up. The defense team pointed out this inconsistency, which involved Hunter Biden affirming that he was not under the influence of drugs or addicted to them.
According to Abbe Lowell, Hunter Biden’s attorney, additional details were incorporated into the digital version of the form submitted to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives once the criminal investigation had commenced. The updated digital version included information indicating that Hunter Biden had provided a passport and Delaware vehicle registration as forms of identification, which were not originally mentioned on the form he had initially signed.
According to Lowell, the credibility of the gun store employee and owner is being questioned due to the discrepancy. He alleges that they did not accurately complete the form and may now have a bias to collaborate with the government in order to avoid facing consequences for tampering with the form. Lowell intends to interrogate the workers about the incident.
The prosecution asserted that the difference was not significant.
According to prosecutor Derek Hines, the crime was fully committed when he signed that certification.
The prosecutors are anticipating the testimony of up to 12 witnesses during the trial, while the defense is likely to call a few witnesses, including some experts. It is anticipated that the trial will span approximately two weeks.
During Friday’s hearing, there were several unresolved matters, one of which pertained to Hunter Biden’s potential testimony. The judge expressed the need to evaluate the development of the case before making a decision. It was noted by his defense attorneys that there remained a chance for Hunter Biden to testify in his own defense.
