The president's son, Hunter Biden, on Tuesday asked the judge overseeing his criminal firearms case to delay his upcoming sentencing for several weeks.
Biden has asked for the Nov. 13 date to be moved to late November or early December, citing conflicts with other business.
Biden's lawyer, Abe Lowell, said just one day before the Delaware ruling that Biden plans to appear in California to represent his client in one of his civil lawsuits.
“The purpose of this postponement is to allow counsel to work with his attorney to prepare any necessary filings and memoranda and to allow lead counsel to participate in the hearing,” Lowell wrote. At his request.
Prosecutors are opposing the attempt to postpone, according to court documents.
“We disagree and do not believe a delay is appropriate,” Senior Special Counsel Derek Hines said in an email to Biden's lawyers.
A jury convicted Biden in June of three felony counts of possessing a gun while under the influence of drugs and lying about his drug use on a firearms background check, making him the first son of a sitting president to be convicted of a crime.
He was due to stand trial this month in California for a second time on nine tax-related charges but pleaded guilty at the start of his trial. His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 16.
Rowell cited overlapping trial work for the two cases and said the postponement would help avoid that duplication.
He also suggested that some of the potential witnesses at the upcoming trial are involved in the ongoing campaign, saying “they may not be able to testify until after November 5th and the events that may occur shortly thereafter.”
The gun crimes sentencing is scheduled just days after the election.
“Several individuals who planned to submit letters to both courts as part of Mr. Biden's sentencing memorandum are currently in government service, traveling with the current Administration, or involved in the 2024 presidential campaign, and therefore are short on time,” Lowell wrote.
