The trial against Hunter Biden has entered its final stage. This Monday, the final arguments took place and later the jurors began to deliberate. The prosecution began its statement by asking the jurors not to make their decision influenced by the presence of some members of the Biden family in court. Meanwhile, the defense insisted that no one saw Hunter use drugs the day he purchased the firearm. This is the first time a president's child has been indicted on criminal charges.
The day began with Hunter Biden's defense announcing that the president's son would not testify. Although Hunter did not go on to give his side of the story, the trial practically began with him confessing that he had used drugs during the time he purchased and had the firearm. Last week, the prosecution reproduced several fragments of his book read by himself.
The striking words of the prosecution
The prosecutor began his final argument with some quite striking statements:
“All of this is not evidence. The people sitting in the gallery are not evidence. You may recognize some of them from the news or the community… Respectfully, none of that matters,” prosecutor Leo Wise told jurors as he pointed to the part of the gallery where the Biden family was sitting.
For almost every day of the trial, First Lady Jill Biden has been present accompanying her stepson. Several family members, including his wife, his uncle Jim Biden and his sister, have also been in court. For some experts, the fact that the president's wife sits in court every day could influence the jurors' decision. It must also be taken into account that the Biden family has been involved in politics for decades in Delaware, so it has a lot of influence and a close relationship with that community, an issue that could influence the final decision.
During the arguments, the prosecution also said that what was important was not the Biden family but the evidence in the case, and that the evidence against Hunter Biden was “personal, ugly and overwhelming,” but it was “necessary.” The prosecution also returned to the most compelling evidence, such as fragments of Hunter's book, messages in which he claimed to be using drugs, and some photographs recovered from Hunter's famous computer that for years the Bidens called "Russian disinformation."
Defense says Hunter was lying when he claimed to use drugs in text messages
In its final arguments, the defense asserted that the prosecution had used a "magic trick," showing only part of the image but not the full picture. It said the prosecution had attempted to connect past acts directly to the day Hunter bought the gun without showing evidence of it.
Regarding Hunter Biden's messages, sent the day after purchasing the gun, in which he claimed to be looking for and consuming drugs, the defense said that the president's son could have been lying, as he did on different occasions. Adding that none of the witnesses testified that they saw him use drugs the day he obtained the gun and he allegedly lied on the purchase form stating that he was not using controlled substances.
The defense also stated that Hunter Biden's book was not a diary, but only a writing about the president's son's memories of his time as a drug addict, so it should not be used as evidence of what he did on one specific day.
Hunter Biden could face up to 25 years in prison if he is found guilty of the three crimes of which he is accused. However, even if jurors think he is guilty, they could vote to acquit him.
