Hunter Biden ordered to appear in court in person on October 3 to face federal gun charges – after losing bid to enter plea on Zoom
- President’s son had requested to make the federal court appearance remotely
- Judge said he shouldn’t get any ‘special treatment’ and rejected his request
- He’s expected to plead not guilty to three federal firearms charges on October 3
Hunter Biden was told he will be treated like any other criminal defendant as a judge ordered him to appear in court in person to face gun charges.
The president’s troubled son is expected to plead not guilty when he stands in front of a judge in a Delaware federal court on October 3.
The 53-year-old is facing three federal firearms charges for allegedly lying about his drug addiction on a gun purchase form.
The president’s son had asked to appear via video conference for the hearing now set for September 26,
But U.S. Magistrate Judge Christopher Burke sided with prosecutors who said he should be there in person.
Hunter Biden was told he will be treated like any other criminal defendant as a judge ordered him to appear in court in person to face gun charges
Burke found that the court conducted initial appearance hearings over video only at the height of the coronavirus pandemic or on a very few occasions when a defendant was physically unable to be present or destitute.
Biden should ‘not receive special treatment in this matter,’ he wrote. ‘Absent some unusual circumstance, he should be treated just as would any other defendant in our court.’
Biden is accused of lying on a form about his drug use when he bought a firearm in October 2018.
He kept the gun for 11 days during a period when he acknowledged, according to his memoir, that he was addicted to crack cocaine.
The three-count indictment from a special counsel overseeing the case came weeks after a proposed plea deal failed and puts the case on track toward a possible trial as the 2024 election looms.
The 53-year-old is facing three federal firearms charges for allegedly lying about his drug addiction on a gun purchase form
Hunter Biden has also been under investigation for his business dealings, and the special counsel has indicated that tax charges could be filed at some point in Washington or in California, where he lives.
In response to his mounting legal problems, Hunter has ramped up his counteroffensive.
He this week sued the IRS, claiming whistleblowers illegally released his tax records.
The IRS was investigating if Hunter Biden properly disclosed all of his income and paid taxes on it.
Later Hunter would agree to the plea deal which ultimately fell apart – where he had admitted to two tax misdemeanors.
The tax code generally forbids IRS employees from disclosing information from a person’s tax returns.
But there is an exception. The chairs of the congressional tax-writing committees can request any taxpayer information from the IRS and then the committees can vote to make that information public.
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