No one is above the law, not even the president's son. Hunter Biden's conviction on Tuesday in federal court in Delaware undermines former President Donald Trump's claim that his New York conviction showed the justice system is rigged. Biden's sentence also highlights the importance of strict enforcement of the country's nearly nonexistent gun control laws.
The jury found Biden guilty of three felony counts. The case stemmed from Biden falsely claiming he was not dependent on or using illegal drugs on federal forms that he was required to fill out truthfully in order to purchase a gun. This was in 2018, when Biden was using crack cocaine and was a danger to himself and others, especially if armed. The evidence of his guilt was so overwhelming that the jury of six men and six women, including several gun owners, deliberated for just three hours before reaching a verdict.
In a case of strange alliances, Second Amendment absolutists would like to strike down the laws Biden convicted of unconstitutional, and the Biden campaign has not ruled out such an appeal. (Biden's lawyer, Abe Lowell, said after the ruling, “We will continue to vigorously pursue all legal challenges available to Mr. Hunter.”) The constitutional arguments are likely to succeed in this Supreme Court. We hope not. Allowing drug users to buy as many guns as they want is clearly contrary to legislative intent and any reasonable interpretation of the Second Amendment, and would be a grave error that would undermine the safety of communities across America.
It should never have come to this. Biden could have long ago pleaded guilty, accepted full responsibility, and spared his family and the country the spectacle of a trial by asking for the court's mercy at sentencing. Instead, he and his lawyers tried to negotiate an unusual plea deal that would have more broadly absolved Biden of criminal responsibility, but it fell apart last year after a federal judge's due diligence in the case. In a state where Biden's family is political royalty, Biden was clearly hoping for an acquittal by the jury or the dismissal of a few jurors moved by his struggle with addiction. Fortunately, the jury did its duty.
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Addiction is a tragic disease that tears apart even the wealthiest and most powerful families. His ex-wife, Katherine Buhl, was forced to testify publicly about how her husband destroyed her marriage, and his brother Beau Biden's widow, Hallie Biden, was forced to speak out about their on-and-off relationship and the ugly path her husband took to addiction. First Lady Jill Biden sat in on much of the trial.
But society's compassionate response should not include leniency when it comes to gun safety laws. It was Hallie Biden who discovered a Colt Cobra .38-caliber handgun in Biden's truck parked outside his home, along with crack cocaine residue and drug paraphernalia. She testified about her “panic” decision to throw the weapon in a grocery store trash can. “I didn't want him to get hurt, and I didn't want my kids to find out and get hurt,” she said. The whole point of the law at issue in Biden's case is precisely to save families from such terrible dilemmas.
Ironically, President Biden spoke at a long-planned event Tuesday afternoon about his administration's admirable efforts to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people. He announced that the Justice Department has indicted more than 500 defendants for violating gun trafficking and dummy purchase provisions under a law he signed two years ago. He also touted new rules that will reduce the number of guns sold without background checks. The president deserves praise for his record on guns and for promising not to pardon his son. He said in a statement Tuesday that he “accepts the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers his appeal.”
Hunter Biden will begin a new trial in Los Angeles on September 5th, this time on charges of tax evasion and filing false tax returns, in addition to failing to pay at least $1.4 million in federal taxes from 2016 to 2019. The trial is sure to reveal more salacious details, including alleged criminal conduct after he claimed to have quit drug use. The Trump campaign can't wait.
Enough is enough. It is past time for Mr. Biden to finally take full personal responsibility for the consequences of his destructive actions. He is clearly guilty of the three charges the jury found him guilty of. Mr. Biden should put his father's reelection hopes, and what is best for the country, above his own self-interest.
