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US President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, will not testify in a criminal trial on charges that he failed to declare he was a drug user on a 2018 gun purchase form, his lawyer said.
CNN reports that Abbe Lowell, Mr. Hunter Biden's lawyer, said in court Monday that his client will not testify, prompting the judge to instruct jurors that they should not use that fact against Mr. Biden.
Prosecutors in the first criminal trial of the son of a US president finished presenting evidence and witnesses Friday after a week of revealing intimate details of years of alcohol and cocaine abuse that prosecutors say made him illegal gun purchases for Mr. Biden.
Hunter Biden, 54, said he has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges that he lied about his drug addiction on a government form for the purchase of a Colt Cobra pistol and unlawful possession of a gun for 11 days.
The defense said Hunter Biden would not testify at his trial on Monday. Testifying can be dangerous for defendants because they face questions from prosecutors.
The trial, which is taking place in a federal court in Delaware, follows the historic trial of former President Donald Trump, in which he was found guilty on May 30 of 34 criminal charges. Mr. Trump is expected to be the Republican candidate for president in the November 5 presidential election, in which he is expected to face President Biden.
Mr. Trump and some of his Republican allies in Congress have claimed that the trial in New York and the three other criminal cases against him are politically motivated efforts to prevent his return to power.
Democratic lawmakers in Congress cite the investigation and trial of Hunter Biden as evidence that President Joe Biden is not using the justice system for political or personal gain.
Last week, Mr. Hunter Biden's ex-wife, ex-girlfriend and sister-in-law testified about his history of drug use, telling jurors that they often found drugs in his apartment and were concerned about his addiction. from drugs.
Hunter Biden told the judge overseeing the case at a 2023 hearing that he has not consumed alcohol or drugs since 2019.
Mr. Biden's lawyer, Abbe Lowell, told jurors during his opening statement that his client did not intend to deceive because at the time he bought the gun he did not consider himself a drug user.
The defense called three witnesses on Friday, including the owner of the gun store and an employee, and Mr. Biden's daughter, Naomi, who said her father appeared to be fine when she saw him in the weeks before and after buying the gun.
If convicted, Hunter Biden faces up to 25 years in prison, although first-time offenders receive far lesser sentences than the maximum sentence. It remains unclear whether the judge will give him a prison sentence./ VOA
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