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Hunter Biden has been convicted of all three felony charges related to the purchase of a revolver in 2018 when, prosecutors argued, he lied on a mandatory gun-purchase form by saying he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs.
By
RANDALL CHASE, SARAH BRUMFIELD and THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year]
Today’s live coverage has ended, but there’s plenty to catch up on. See how the news unfolded below and find more coverage at apnews.com.
Hunter Biden has been convicted of all three felony charges related to the purchase of a revolver in 2018 when, prosecutors argued, the president’s son lied on a mandatory gun-purchase form by saying he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs.
White House cancels scheduled press briefing
After the verdict was announced, the White House canceled press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’s scheduled briefing and announced that Biden would spend the evening in Delaware to be with Hunter and other family members.
He was scheduled to give a speech on his administration’s efforts to limit gun violence and toughen enforcement of gun laws at a conference hosted by the Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund in Washington. From there, he’s traveling to Wilmington before he leaves Wednesday for the Group of Seven leaders conference in Italy.
Special counsel says Hunter Biden conviction is a reminder that no one is above the law
The special counsel appointed to investigate Hunter Biden says his conviction on federal gun crimes is a reminder that no one is above the law.
David Weiss, U.S. Attorney for Delaware, spoke after a Delaware jury convicted Hunter of three felonies Tuesday related to his purchase of a handgun in October 2018.
“No one in this country is above the law,” Weiss said. “Everyone must be accountable for their actions.”
Department of Justice Special Counsel David Weiss, center, accompanied by by federal prosecutors Derek Hines, right, and Leo Wise speaks during a news conference, Tuesday, June 11, 2024, in Wilmington, Del. Weiss says Hunter Biden’s conviction on federal gun crimes is a reminder that no one is above the law. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Justice Department special counsel David Weiss, whose office prosecuted the case against Hunter Biden, is expected to deliver a statement in a few minutes.
Defense attorney says they’re disappointed, but will pursue all available legal challenges
Defense attorney Abbe Lowell says they are “naturally disappointed” by Hunter Biden’s guilty verdict. Lowell said in a statement that they respect the jury process and will vigorously pursue all legal challenges that are available as they have throughout the case.
“Through all he has been through in his recovery, including this trial, Hunter has felt grateful for and blessed by the love and support of his family,” Lowell said.
Hunter Biden says he is grateful for support from family and friends but ‘disappointed by the outcome’
“I am more grateful today for the love and support I experienced this last week from Melissa, my family, my friends, and my community than I am disappointed by the outcome,” Hunter Biden wrote in a statement following his guilty verdict. “Recovery is possible by the grace of God, and I am blessed to experience that gift one day at a time.”
Republicans react to verdict
Republican reaction to Hunter Biden’s verdict Tuesday was swift and varied as some called the guilty outcome overdue accountability for the Biden family while others said it represented a “veil of fairness.”
Rep. James Comer, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, who has been investigating the president’s family for the last two years, said that while the verdict marked “a step toward accountability,” there won’t be justice “until the Department of Justice investigates everyone involved in the Bidens’ corrupt influence peddling schemes.”
Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., arrives for a House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus pandemic at Capitol Hill, Monday, June 3, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
Comer and other House Republicans have pursued an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden for the last 17 months that has failed to directly connect the commander-in-chief to his family’s overseas business dealings. Comer has taken a special interest in Hunter Biden and his various legal woes, bringing in the president’s son last year to conduct an hourslong deposition.
President says he’ll accept the outcome of Hunter’s case and ‘respect the judicial process’
After Hunter Biden’s conviction, President Joe Biden said in a statement that he and the first lady will always be there for their son “with our love and support.”
The president says he’ll accept the outcome and continue to respect the judicial process as his son considers an appeal.
President Biden says he and Jill love their son and they’re proud of the man he is today.
“So many families who have had loved ones battle addiction understand the feeling of pride seeing someone you love come out the other side and be so strong and resilient in recovery,” Biden said.
Hunter Biden faces up to 25 years in prison, but no sentencing date has been set
By RANDALL CHASE, SARAH BRUMFIELD
Hunter Biden faces up to 10 years in prison on the first count, five years on the second count and another 10 years on the third count when he is sentenced. It’s not clear how long a sentence he could receive. The sentence is up to the judge and Hunter Biden is a first-time offender.
Judge Maryellen Noreika noted that sentencing typically is 120 days out, but no sentencing date was set.
Hunter Biden leaves the courthouse without addressing reporters
Hunter Biden left the courthouse holding hands with the first lady and his wife, Melissa. They did not speak to reporters, got into waiting SUVs and drove off.
Hunter Biden, center, President Joe Biden’s son, accompanied by his mother, first lady Jill Biden, left, and his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, right, walking out of federal court after hearing the verdict, Tuesday, June 11, 2024, in Wilmington, Del. Hunter Biden has been convicted of all 3 felony charges in the federal gun trial. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
First lady Jill Biden arrived to the courthouse minutes after the jury delivered its verdict
She was not in the courtroom when it was read.
Inside the courtroom as the verdict was read
By MIKE KUNZELMAN, RANDALL CHASE
Hunter Biden patted defense attorney Abbe Lowell on the left shoulder after the judge’s courtroom deputy read aloud the verdict.
Biden hugged both of his attorneys and said thank you after the jurors left the courtroom. He smiled wanly at his relatives in the gallery and then hugged and kissed his wife before leaving the courtroom.
The judge has dismissed jurors.
JUST IN: Hunter Biden is convicted of all 3 felony charges in federal gun trial
JUST IN: Jurors in Hunter Biden’s federal gun trial have reached a verdict after around 3 hours of deliberations
Hunter Biden leaves the courthouse as deliberations resume
By RANDALL CHASE, ERIK VERDUZCO
Hunter Biden leaves the courthouse with his wife as jurors begin a second day of deliberations.
He isn’t required to stay at the courthouse while the jury deliberates, but is expected to return if the jury comes back with a note or verdict.
Jury resumes deliberations
Jurors have convened to resume deliberations in Hunter Biden’s federal gun trial in Delaware.
The jury deliberated for about one hour on Monday after attorneys gave their closing arguments.
Hunter Biden and his wife Melissa Cohen Biden arrive at the courthouse holding hands.
Hunter Biden arrives to federal court with his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, Tuesday, June 11, 2024, in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Who is the judge in the Hunter Biden case?
The judge presiding over Hunter Biden’s federal gun trial in Delaware is a former corporate civil lawyer with a background in biology who was nominated to the bench by the Biden family’s chief political antagonist: former President Donald Trump.
But even while that might raise partisan eyebrows and questions of political pressure in the highly watched case, District Judge Maryellen Noreika was recommended for the bench by the two Democratic senators.
She has a brief history of political donations to both parties — mostly Republicans — and had not worked on criminal cases or presided over a courtroom before getting the nod as a federal judge. The New York Times reported she was registered to vote as a Democrat from 2000-2020 until changing her registration to no party affiliation.
▶ Read more about the judge in Hunter Biden’s gun trial.
The charges facing Hunter Biden
President Joe Biden’s son is charged with falsely denying on a federal firearms form that he was a drug addict when he bought a handgun in October 2018. He is charged with two felony counts of making a false statement related to the purchase of a firearm, and a third felony count of illegally possessing a gun while being an unlawful user of drugs.
If convicted in the gun case, he faces up to 25 years in prison, though first-time offenders do not get anywhere near the maximum.
▶ Read more about the charges.
The defense’s approach
Hunter Biden’s lawyers have sought to show he was trying to turn his life around at the time of the gun purchase, having completed a rehabilitation program at the end of August 2018. The defense called three witnesses, including Hunter’s daughter Naomi, who told jurors that her father seemed be improving in the weeks before he bought the gun.
And the defense told jurors that no one actually witnessed Hunter Biden using drugs during the 11 days he had the gun before Beau’s widow, Hallie, found it in Hunter’s truck and threw it in a trash can.
The prosecution’s case
Prosecutors spent last week using testimony from his ex-wife and former girlfriends, photos of Hunter Biden with drug paraphernalia and other tawdry evidence to make the case that he lied when he checked “no” on the form at the gun shop that asked whether he was “an unlawful user of, or addicted to” drugs.
“He knew he was using drugs. That’s what the evidence shows. And he knew he was addicted to drugs. That’s what the evidence shows,” prosecutor Leo Wise told jurors in his closing argument Monday.
What to know about the Hunter Biden gun trial
FILE – Hunter Biden arrives to federal court, June 6, 2024, in Wilmington, Del. The criminal trial of President Joe Biden’s son heads into the pivotal final stretch Monday, June 11, as the defense argues prosecutors have failed to prove their federal gun case against Hunter Biden. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)
The trial began last week in Delaware’s federal court, with prosecutors seeking to show that Hunter Biden was addicted and regularly using drugs during the 11-day period when he bought and owned the gun.
Hunter Biden’s defense team sought to show that he did not consider himself an “addict” when he filled out the form, and said he was trying to turn his life around at the time.
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