Hunter Biden indicted on federal firearms charges in lengthy probe

WASHINGTON —  Hunter Biden was indicted on Thursday on federal firearms charges, the latest step in a long-running investigation into the president’s son that puts the case on track for a possible trial as the 2024 election looms.

The younger Biden is accused of lying about his drug use when he bought a firearm in October 2018, at a time he was struggling with addiction to crack cocaine, according to the indictment filed in federal court in Delaware by the special counsel overseeing the case.

The indictment follows the collapse of a plea deal that would have averted a criminal trial and more distracting headlines as President Biden seeks reelection.

Hunter Biden’s lawyer has said his client didn’t violate the law and remains protected by an immunity provision in the plea deal.

The firearms charges in the indictment are rarely filed as stand-alone counts, and a recent appeals court decision called into question the law behind them.

The president’s son has also been under investigation for his business dealings, and the special counsel has indicated he may face tax charges in Washington, D.C., or in California, where he lives.

Political pressure over the case escalated earlier this week as the GOP-led U.S. House formally opened an inquiry on impeaching President Biden, a Democrat. Republicans have sought to tie him to his son’s businesses and divert attention from the many legal cases against former President Trump, who is also seeking reelection.

Over the years-long investigation into Hunter Biden, federal prosecutors have not indicated that his father is connected to the case. And Republicans have not cited significant evidence against the elder Biden. He spoke often to his son as vice president and once stopped by a dinner of his son’s associates, but the White House maintains that the president was not involved in his son’s business affairs.

The prosecutor who has long overseen the inquiry, Trump-appointed Delaware U.S. Atty. David Weiss, was elevated to special counsel last month, increasing his authority to investigate and report on his findings.

Thursday’s indictment says Hunter Biden lied on a required form when he bought a .38 Colt Cobra Special at a gun shop in Wilmington, Del.

He is charged with two counts of making false statements by checking a box to indicate he was not addicted to drugs and by giving the form to the shop. A third count alleges he possessed the gun for about 11 days despite being a drug user. The counts are punishable by up to 25 years in prison, Weiss and the Justice Department said in a statement.

A felony gun charge against Hunter Biden, 53, had been part of a plea deal that included guilty pleas to misdemeanor tax charges, but the agreement imploded in July when a judge questioned its provisions.

The agreement would not have included a guilty plea on the gun charge, but would have spared the younger Biden from being formally prosecuted for it if he were to stay out of trouble for two years.

Republicans had denounced the plea agreement as a “sweetheart deal.” It would have allowed Hunter Biden to serve probation rather than jail time after pleading guilty to failing to pay taxes in 2017 and 2018.

GOP lawmakers have obtained testimony that Hunter Biden used the “Biden brand” to drum up work overseas but have not produced evidence of wrongdoing by the president.