{UAH} GOING AFTER ALLAN BARIGYE THE FORUM BULY WITH HARD FACTS ->We will not attack his family but self with facts ->Part 514

Hunter Biden ordered to appear in court on gun charges after losing bid to Zoom in

By Josh Christenson

Published Sep. 20, 2023

 Updated Sep. 20, 2023, 4:49 p.m. ET

Hunter Biden will appear in federal court next month to enter a plea on gun charges after a judge denied a request from the first son’s defense lawyer to let him skip out on an in-person arraignment hearing, new court filings show.

US Magistrate Judge Christopher Burke on Wednesday ordered the president’s son to physically appear in Wilmington, Del., federal court Oct. 3 at 10 a.m., requesting that Hunter and his attorney be present to discuss the charges and potential conditions of release before his trial.

Burke initially ordered Hunter to appear Sept. 26, but pushed the hearing back seven days at the request of the first son’s legal team.

In his initial order, Burke acknowledged the in-person hearing — two months to the day after a plea deal involving the first son collapsed spectacularly in court — would include “some amount of logistical inconvenience” to US Secret Service, but maintained that Hunter “should be treated just as would any other defendant in our Court.”

“Other than during the exigent circumstances of the COVID crisis (when the Court was proceeding under the auspices of the now-expired CARES Act standing order), in 12 years as a judge on this Court, the undersigned cannot recall ever having an initial appearance other than in person,” Burke wrote.

“That has been the case as to defendants of all types, regardless of their location or personal circumstance.”

Special counsel David Weiss has opposed a request from lawyers for Hunter Biden to hold a virtual hearing on gun charges brought against the first son.Gripas Yuri/Abaca/Sipa USA

Biden attorney Abbe Lowell argued in a Tuesday filing that an in-person hearing would be a “logistical burden” and financial strain on federal law enforcement and protective services.

However, special counsel David Weiss pointed out in his own filing that there was no precedent to avoid in-person appearances for those reasons.

“Hunter Biden does not contend he is injured or indigent,” the Delaware US attorney wrote. “If ‘convenience’ was a legitimate basis to warrant virtual proceedings, every defendant would ask for them in every case.”

Weiss asked US Magistrate Judge Christopher Burke on Wednesday to deny attorney Abbe Lowell’s request to hold a remote hearing, saying Hunter should not receive special treatment.Damian Giletto/Delaware News Journal via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Weiss also said holding the hearing by video teleconference may prevent the judge from assessing Hunter’s “physical, emotional, and mental condition” — which would help in determining whether to detain or release him.

Further, the prosecutor noted that deliberations at Hunter’s July 26 plea hearing had descended into “confusion” as the parties disagreed about the scope of their agreement — and decided to scrap it.

“For example, the defendant provided contradictory testimony and his previous attorney apologized to the court for the way the defendant and his counsel chose to answer the Court’s questions,” Weiss said.

On Sept. 14, Weiss charged Hunter Biden, 53, with three counts for having lied about his drug use when purchasing a firearm in 2018.

“The confusion they caused resulted in the Court twice recessing the proceeding only to ultimately defer a decision on the proposed and subsequently withdrawn diversion and plea agreements.

“Although the government anticipates this proceeding should be straightforward since the parties have not reached an agreement to resolve this matter, we believe an in-person proceeding may be more conducive to addressing any unforeseen issues that arise,” Weiss went on.

On Sept. 14, Weiss charged Hunter Biden with three counts of having lied about his drug use when purchasing a firearm in 2018. The first son admitted in his 2021 memoir “Beautiful Things” to using crack cocaine during that time.

Lowell argued in a Tuesday filing that an in-person hearing would be a “logistical burden” and financial strain on the US Secret Service and US Marshals Service.Getty Images

Lowell said on Tuesday that he expects his client to plead not guilty to the charges, which carry a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.

Both Weiss and Lowell have supported conditions of release approved by a federal judge that require the first son to remain sober, submit to drug testing, seek employment and inform the court of all his travel plans.

Hunter’s plea deal blew up in federal court under persistent questioning from Delaware US District Judge Maryellen Noreika, who asked prosecutors about an immunity provision that would have kept them from charging Hunter for past crimes.

House Republicans have since launched an impeachment inquiry into President Biden to determine whether he was involved in Hunter’s business ventures.REUTERS

A scrapped diversion agreement for the gun offense included in that plea deal would have also allowed his record to be expunged if he complied with the terms of his probation.

Hunter’s plea agreement would have slapped him with two years of probation for failing to pay taxes on more than $2 million he earned in foreign income from business dealings in China and Ukraine, among other countries.

IRS whistleblowers have alleged the Biden Justice Department interfered with the federal investigation into the president’s son, who may have violated foreign lobbying laws.

House Republicans have since launched an impeachment inquiry into President Biden to determine whether he profited from or influenced US policy in response to Hunter’s business ventures.

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