On October 3, President Biden’s son Hunter will be arraigned in court on three felony firearms charges. Magistrate Judge Christopher Burke of the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware has ruled that Biden must attend in person for his arraignment and initial appearance in court.
Hunter Biden’s attorneys asked the court to convene the hearing by video conference because, they argued, it would put a considerable strain on government resources and the infrastructure of downtown Wilmington.
According to his attorneys, Hunter Biden will enter a not-guilty plea to all three allegations against him and waive reading of the indictment a federal grand jury returned last week. This will be the case whether or not Biden appears in court virtually or in person.
Moreover, they claimed that Hunter Biden is comfortable with the idea of making his initial appearance through video conference, as he believes it will be a fair and adequate means of satisfying his constitutional rights.
Since June 2022, when an order enabling video teleconferencing because of the COVID-19 epidemic expired, the court has nearly always held in-person appearances; therefore, special counsel David Weiss argued against the request for a virtual initial appearance and arraignment. They suggested that a personal hearing could more effectively handle any unforeseen complications.
Three charges were filed against Hunter Biden after discovering that he had purchased a Colt Cobra 38SPL revolver in October 2018 while under the influence of drugs. In the first count, the president’s son is accused of willfully making a false statement on the mandatory firearms purchase form by falsely certifying that he does not engage in the illicit use of any narcotic substances.
Each of the three counts is a felony, and if Biden is found guilty, he faces a maximum of 25 years in jail.
