On Politics

Mon Jun 3 2024

Sudiksha Kochi | Congress, Campaigns and Democracy Reporter

@KochiSudiksha

Hey OnPolitics readers! Hunter Biden's trial over charges he lied on a federal gun form started Monday at a federal courthouse in Wilmington, Delaware.

Biden faces a maximum sentence of 25 years, if convicted, USA TODAY editor Dan Morrison reported. The case will hinge in part on whether Biden was technically "addicted" when he bought a gun – and which definition of the term might prevail with the judge and jury.

The trial comes as Biden, who has never held elected or public office, once again finds himself at the center of a momentous presidential campaign and as a months-long Republican push to impeach President Joe Biden.

Hunter Biden's struggle with addiction: In the fall of 2018, Hunter Biden moved back to the East Coast after months of despairing drug abuse in California. At one point that summer, his uncle placed him in an 11-day rehab program before he moved in with a sobriety coach.

But it was during that period that Hunter Biden purchased a handgun and checked "No" on a federal gun form that asked: "Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance?" The president's son believed he had answered honestly on the federal paperwork, his lawyers argue.

What are addiction experts saying? Kevin McEneaney, a former top official at Phoenix House, speaking from 30 years of working with people with substance use disorders, said that "Eleven days is a treatment experience. It's not a treatment success."

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So what will the case come down to? Legally, the question of Biden's sobriety may come down to his state of mind on the day he bought the pistol. His lawyers argue he never loaded or used the weapon and was in a period of sobriety