Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, has been indicted on federal gun charges, according to new court filings.
Biden was indicted on Thursday on charges of possession of a gun while using narcotics. Two of the counts include allegations Biden completed a form indicating he was not using illegal drugs when he purchased a gun while the other alleges he possessed a firearm while using a narcotic.
The indictment alleges Biden lied on a federal form “that he was not an unlawful user of, and addicted to, any stimulant, narcotic drug, and any other controlled substance, when in fact, as he knew, that statement was false and fictitious.”
Two of the counts carry a maximum prison sentences of 10 years, while the third has a maximum of five years.
The indictment of a president’s son is historic and comes after a plea deal fell apart and just days after House Republicans launched an impeachment inquiry into the President, seeking bank records and other documents.
The White House referred requests for comment to the Justice Department and Hunter Biden’s legal team.
Hunter Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement that the charges against his client were politically influenced.
“We believe these charges are barred by the agreement the prosecutors made with Mr. Biden, the recent rulings by several federal courts that this statute is unconstitutional, and the facts that he did not violate that law, and we plan to demonstrate all of that in court,” Lowell said.
Biden was expected to plead guilty to two federal misdemeanor counts for failing to pay taxes in 2017 and 2018. However, confusion arose over a separate gun charge.
U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika, appointed by former president Donald Trump, expressed doubt about the terms of the deal reached between Biden’s team and U.S. Attorney David Weiss, who was also appointed by Trump and kept on by President Biden.
As a result, Biden pleaded “not guilty” to those charges instead until the two sides can meet and address the issues at hand.
“Hunter Biden is a private citizen, and this was a personal matter for him,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at the time. “As we have said, the president, the first lady, they love their son, and they support him as he continues to rebuild his life.”
