WILMINGTON, Del. — Hunter Biden’s criminal trial began Monday in Delaware with jury selection that revealed the majority of potential jurors have family members or friends who have been affected by drug addiction.
“This is Delaware. If you swing the cat around, you’ll hear something. [about the case]”One potential juror told the court on Monday.
President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, is being charged with three felony firearms offenses for allegedly purchasing a .38-caliber revolver at a gun shop in the state in 2018. Prosecutors in the case are expected to investigate the eldest son’s crack cocaine addiction, which may be linked to the handgun purchase.
Biden has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Hunter Biden’s drug use: What the prosecution needs to prove and what we already know
Hunter Biden and his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, leave the courtroom after jury selection in his illegal firearms possession trial on June 3, 2024, in Wilmington, Delaware. (Ryan Collard/AFP via Getty Images)
On Monday, the court heard from more than 60 potential jurors who appeared in court separately after filling out questionnaires about whether they could serve as impartial jurors in the case. By late Monday afternoon, 12 jurors and four alternates had been selected.
The jury is primarily made up of six men and six women.
Jury selection continued throughout the day, with the vast majority of potential jurors telling the court they had personally experienced addiction issues through friends or family members. Many of the jurors, regardless of racial background, gender or age, said they had relatives who struggled with drug or alcohol addiction.
Hunter Biden’s federal gun crime trial begins with jury selection
Judge MaryEllen Noreika questioned the jurors one by one about whether their loved ones’ addiction problems affected their ability to fairly evaluate the case.
First Lady Jill Biden arrives ahead of Hunter Biden’s trial at federal court in Wilmington, Delaware on June 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
“That’s the problem,” one young woman told the court, explaining that she has family members struggling with drug addiction and has lost many friends to drug overdoses.
Others testified in court that their loved ones had overcome addiction problems through rehab, while others lamented that their close relatives still struggle with addiction.
Prosecutors in the case allege that Biden went to StarQuest Shooters & Survival Supply in Wilmington in October 2018 to buy a Colt revolver, but lied about his drug addiction when filling out paperwork to buy the gun for federal authorities. On Biden’s form, he checked “no” when asked if he was an unlawful gun user or addicted to controlled substances.
Judge bars prosecutors from using salacious evidence in Hunter Biden gun trial
He faces charges of making false statements regarding the purchase of a firearm, making false statements regarding information required to be kept by a federally licensed firearms dealer and possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of or addict to a controlled substance.
The charges carry a combined maximum prison sentence of 25 years. Each charge carries a maximum fine of $250,000 and three years probation.
Hunter Biden was accompanied by first lady Jill Biden, his wife Melissa Cohen and his sister Ashley Biden.
Ashley Biden arrives ahead of Hunter Biden’s trial in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware on June 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Jill Biden showed little emotion during the court hearing, smiling only when speaking with family members, including her daughter-in-law Melissa and other associates in the courtroom. When media and potential jurors gathered in the courtroom, the first lady barely glanced at them.
Hunter and Americans convicted of similar crimes never got ‘sweet’ deal to avoid prison: critics
Hunter Biden, meanwhile, mingled with his legal team throughout the day, flipping through court documents and chatting with his lawyer, Abe Lowell. During a break in the courtroom, Hunter Biden hugged and kissed Jill Biden, and held his wife’s hand as they left the courtroom.
First Lady Jill Biden arrives ahead of Hunter Biden’s trial at federal court in Wilmington, Delaware on June 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Many jurors testified in court about how addiction has affected their personal lives, and some detailed gun ownership among family members or loved ones. A few jurors testified in court that it is legal to carry a concealed gun for self-defense, while others said they oppose current gun control laws and would like to see stricter gun control laws for so-called “assault weapons.”
Hunter Biden criminal tax case goes to Trump-appointed judge in Delaware
Judge Noreika grilled potential jurors about whether their views on gun law would affect their ability to fairly consider the case, and those who said they could not do so were removed from the jury.
Hunter Biden to appear in court in July on federal tax charges
Hunter Biden arrives at the federal courthouse in Wilmington, Delaware on June 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Luke)
The assignment of the case appeared to come as a surprise to many potential jurors, who frequently responded that while they knew Hunter Biden was coming up for trial given Delaware is a small state, they had no idea the jury request was related to the case.
With jury selection complete, the trial will begin in earnest with opening statements on Tuesday. The prosecution announced later that day that their first witness will be FBI Special Agent Erica Jensen.
Click here to get the FOX News app
Biden also faces a criminal tax trial starting in September in California, where he was charged with three felony and six misdemeanor counts relating to $1.4 million in unpaid taxes. Biden pleaded not guilty in that case and the taxes have since been paid.
