US President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden was convicted by a jury on Tuesday of lying about his drug use to illegally buy a gun, a verdict Democrats may seize upon to counter Donald Trump’s claim of a justice system weaponised against him.
A 12-member jury in Wilmington, Delaware, federal court found the defendant guilty on all three counts against him, making Hunter the first child of a sitting US president to be convicted of a crime.
Hunter, 54, lightly nodded his head after the verdict was read but otherwise showed little reac-tion. He then patted his lawyer Abbe Lowell on the back and hugged another member of his legal team.
He then left the courthouse without making a statement. His father issued a statement saying he accepted the outcome of the case and would respect the judicial process as his son considers an appeal.
The judge set no date for sentencing but added the timeline is usually 120 days. That would place it no later than a month before the November 5 US presidential election.
Sentencing guidelines for gun charges are 15 to 21 months, but legal experts say defendants in similar cases often get shorter sentences and are less likely to be incarcerated if they abide by the terms of their pretrial release.
Some 61 per cent of registered voters respond-ing to a Reuters/Ipsos poll in February said Hunter Biden’s legal troubles would have no impact on whether they voted for his father in November.
The poll showed voters divided over whether Hunter’s legal troubles were related to his father’s service as president.
The trial followed the May 30 criminal conviction of Trump, the first former US president to be found guilty of a felony and the Republican challenger to Joe, a Democrat, in a tight race for the White House.
Trump, convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up a sex scandal, accuses Democrats of pursuing that case and three other criminal prosecutions to prevent him from regaining power in his rematch with Joe.—AFP
