A federal jury in Delaware has convicted Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, on all three counts related to federal gun crimes. The charges stem from an incident in 2018 when he lied about his drug addiction while purchasing a firearm.
John Malcolm, Heritage Vice President for the Institute for Constitutional Government and former federal prosecutor, commented on the verdict: "The evidence of guilt—both direct and circumstantial—was overwhelming in this trial. While we are pleased to see the jury make the correct verdict, the tortuous path it took to get to this point is unacceptable."
Malcolm criticized the Justice Department's handling of the case: "The Justice Department, where I worked as a federal prosecutor, grossly mishandled this case from the beginning. Special counsel David Weiss caused the statute of limitations to run on some of the most serious charges that could have been filed against Biden, offered Biden a lopsided ‘sweetheart deal,’ and tipped off Hunter Biden’s attorneys about where incriminating evidence might be found."
He added that only after these issues were exposed did the case come to trial. "That should not give anyone confidence in America’s justice system," Malcolm stated.
Cully Stimson, Heritage Senior Legal Fellow and former federal prosecutor, also weighed in: "Hunter Biden’s favorable trial conditions—ranging from a lenient Special Counsel to his political fame in the state he was prosecuted in—did not stop the jury from rightfully convicting him."
Stimson emphasized that despite these conditions, prosecutors successfully proved their case beyond a reasonable doubt. He concluded by highlighting concerns over politicization within the justice system: "But throughout this case, we saw how politicized and weaponized our current justice system has become. It’s long past time we bring back ‘justice’ to our justice system."
