Federal prosecutors on Tuesday painted US President Joe Biden’s son Hunter as a “drug addict” whose dark habits ensnared loved ones and who knew what he was doing, when he lied on forms to purchase a gun in 2018 by saying he was not in the throes of addiction.
Meanwhile, Hunter Biden’s lawyer said he would call the president’s brother, James Biden, as a witness. James and Hunter Biden are close, and the uncle helped his nephew through rehab stints in the past.
“You will see that he is not guilty,” lawyer Abbe Lowell said.
Hunter Biden has been charged with three felonies stemming from the purchase when he was, according to his memoir, addicted to crack.
He has been accused of lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making a false claim on the application by saying he was not a drug user, and illegally having the gun for 11 days.
Prosecutors told the jury in their opening statement that Hunter Biden was trying to score drugs just days after he lied on the form, telling his brother’s widow in a message that he was waiting for a drug dealer.
They also played for jurors an audio excerpt of his 2021 memoir Beautiful Things, in which he talked about going back to the state of Delaware at about the time of the gun purchase.
“No-one is allowed to lie on a federal form like that, even Hunter Biden,” federal prosecutor Derek Hines said.
“He crossed the line when he chose to buy a gun and lied about a federal background check, the defendant’s choice to buy a gun is why we are here.”
“When the defendant filled out that form, he knew he was a drug addict” and prosecutors do not have to prove he was using that day, Mr Hines said.
He added: “Addiction is depressing,” but Hunter Biden’s addiction is not the reason for the case.
The proceedings come after the collapse of a deal with prosecutors that would have avoided the spectacle of a trial so close to the 2024 election.
Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty and has said he is being unfairly targeted by the justice department after Republicans decried the now-defunct plea deal as special treatment for the Democratic president’s son.
The trial is unfolding just days after Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, was convicted of 34 felonies in New York City.
The two criminal cases are unrelated, but their proximity underscores how the courts have taken centre stage during the 2024 campaign.
Jury selection moved quickly on Monday in Delaware, the president’s home state, where Hunter Biden grew up and where, the elder Biden often says, the family is deeply established.
Joe Biden spent 36 years as a senator in Delaware, commuting daily back and forth from Washington, DC.
The story of how Joe Biden’s two young sons, Hunter and Beau, were injured in the car accident that killed his wife and baby girl in the early 1970s, is well known.
Beau Biden was the former state attorney general before he died at the age of 46 from cancer.
Some prospective jurors were dismissed because they knew the family personally, others because they held both positive and negative political views about the Bidens and could not be impartial.
Hunter Biden also faces a trial in California in September on charges of failing to pay 1.4 million dollars (£1 million) in taxes.
The Delaware trial is not about Hunter Biden’s foreign business affairs, though the proceedings were likely to dredge up dark, embarrassing and painful memories.
The president’s allies are worried about the toll the trial may take on the elder Biden, who has long been concerned about his only living son and his sobriety and who must now watch as his son’s painful past mistakes are publicly scrutinised.
The president must do so while he is campaigning under anaemic poll numbers and preparing for a presidential debate with Trump.
In a statement on Monday, the president said he has “boundless love” for his son, “confidence in him and respect for his strength”.
“I am the president, but I am also a dad,” he said, adding that he would have no further comment on the case.
“Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today.”
Joe Biden was traveling to France on Tuesday and will be away for the rest of the week. The first lady will join him later.
The case against Hunter Biden stems from a period when, by his own public admission, he was addicted to crack. His descent followed the 2015 death of his brother from cancer.
He bought and owned a gun for 11 days in October 2018 and indicated on the gun purchase form that he was not using drugs.
If convicted, Hunter Biden could face up to 25 years in prison, though first-time offenders do not get anywhere near the maximum, and it is unclear whether the judge would give him time behind bars.
Trump is to be sentenced on July 11 by Judge Juan Merchan, who raised the spectre of jail time during the trial after the former president racked up thousands of dollars in fines for violating a gag order.
