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Tuesday 24 Dec 2024
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LOCAL EDITION
US President Joe Biden has said he would not pardon his son Hunter, who is on trial in Delaware on charges he broke a law barring illegal drug users from owning firearms. (Photo/Reuters)
US President Joe Biden has said he would not pardon his son Hunter, who is on trial in Delaware on charges he broke a law barring illegal drug users from owning firearms.
In an interview with ABC News on Thursday, Biden replied "yes" when asked if he would rule out pardoning Hunter. He also replied "yes" when asked if he would accept the outcome of the trial, which started this week.
Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to three felony charges accusing him of failing to disclose his use of illegal drugs when he bought a revolver in 2018 and of illegally possessing the weapon for 11 days.
If Hunter Biden is convicted on all charges, he faces up to 25 years in prison, though defendants generally receive shorter sentences, according to the US Justice Department.
Widow of Beau Biden testifies
Meanwhile, the widow of Hunter Biden's brother told jurors about the moment she found the revolver in his truck, describing how she put it into a leather pouch, stuffed it into a shopping bag and tossed it in a trash can outside a market near her home.
"I panicked, and I wanted to get rid of them," she testified about finding the gun and ammunition in the vehicle's console in October 2018.
"I didn't want him to hurt himself, and I didn’t want my kids to find it and hurt themselves."
The purchase of the Colt revolver by Hunter Biden — and Hallie Biden's frenzied disposal of it — are the fulcrum of the case against him. Federal prosecutors say the president's son was in the throes of a heavy crack addiction when he bought the gun. He's been charged with three felonies: lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making a false claim on the application by saying he was not a drug user and illegally having the gun for 11 days.
Hunter Biden, who has pleaded not guilty, has said the Justice Department is bending to political pressure from Republicans and that he's being unfairly targeted.
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Source: TRT
