The criminal trial of Hunter Biden commenced on Monday in Delaware federal court, marking a historic moment as President Joe Biden‘s son faces gun charges just days after Donald Trump, a former U.S. president, was convicted.
Hunter Biden, 54, appeared at the courthouse, becoming the first child of a sitting president to be tried.
He faces three felony charges related to his purchase and possession of a revolver in 2018, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
This is one of two criminal cases against him, with separate federal tax charges in California.
First Lady Jill Biden, Hunter’s wife Melissa Cohen Biden, and his half-sister Ashley Biden attended the trial in Wilmington before U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika.
“Jill and I love our son and we are so proud of the man he is today,” Joe Biden stated, noting that many families have loved ones who have overcome addiction.
Last Thursday, Trump was convicted in New York state court of 34 felony counts related to falsifying documents to cover up hush money payments.
Trump, the Republican candidate for the upcoming U.S. election, faces Joe Biden, a Democrat, on November 5.
Hunter Biden’s trial diverts attention from Trump’s legal issues.
Trump, who has pleaded not guilty in three other pending cases, is due for sentencing on July 11.
U.S. Special Counsel David Weiss, a Trump appointee, charged Hunter Biden in September with lying about his drug use when purchasing a Colt Cobra .38-caliber revolver and illegally possessing it for 11 days in October 2018.
Weiss has investigated Hunter Biden since 2019 and also brought tax charges against him.
If convicted on all charges, Hunter Biden could face up to 25 years in prison, although sentences are typically shorter, per the U.S. Justice Department.
Hunter Biden spent the weekend with his father in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, biking and attending church together.
President Biden returned to Wilmington on Sunday evening.
Jury selection began with Noreika screening potential jurors on their ability to serve the trial’s length, expected to run through next week.
Potential jurors were questioned about their views on gun ownership, addiction, and previous convictions.
Prosecutors aim to prove Hunter Biden knowingly lied on a federal gun purchase form about his drug use.
They may use details from his phone and iCloud, including photos of him smoking crack and messages with drug dealers, and may call his ex-wife Kathleen Buhle as a witness.
Hunter Biden’s defense might argue he completed a drug rehab program before buying the gun and believed his answer on the purchase form was truthful.
A previous plea agreement that would have avoided prison time collapsed last year after Noreika questioned its scope.
Noreika ruled against introducing expert testimony that substance abusers might not consider themselves addicts, a potential blow to Biden’s defense.
Republicans have long tried unsuccessfully to link Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings to his father’s political influence.