Hunter Biden indicted on federal gun charges

HOUSTON, United States (AA) - Hunter Biden, the son of US President Joe Biden, was indicted Thursday on a series of federal gun charges.

The three federal counts handed down by special counsel David Weiss in the state of Delaware federal court are tied to the younger Biden's possession of a gun while using narcotics.

The first is related to Biden allegedly completing a form indicating that he was not using illegal drugs when he purchased a revolver in October 2018.

"The defendant, Robert Hunter Biden, in connection with the acquisition of a firearm ... knowingly made a false and fictitious written statement, intended and likely to deceive that dealer with respect to a fact material to the lawfulness of the sale of the firearm," according to one count of the indictment.

Count two alleges that Biden knowingly made a false statement "that he was not an unlawful user of, and addicted to, any stimulant, narcotic drug, and any other controlled substance, when in fact, as he knew, that statement was false and fictitious."

The third alleges that he “did knowingly possess a firearm, a Colt Cobra 38SPL revolver ... said firearm having been shipped and transported in interstate commerce."

Two of the counts carry a maximum sentence of 10 years, while the third carries five years.

The historic indictment against the son of a sitting president comes after a plea deal with Biden on tax and gun charges fell apart in July amid a probe of his finances by Republicans in the House of Representatives who launched an impeachment inquiry seeking bank records and other financial documents from the president and his son.

The charges Thursday are unlikely to be the last. According to ABC News, Weiss withdrew two misdemeanor tax charges in Delaware with the intention of filing them in California and Washington, D.C. -- places where the alleged misconduct occurred. No timeline has yet been given for the possibility of filing those additional charges.

House members on both sides of the aisle weighed in on the indictment.

"Today's charges are a very small start, but unless US Attorney Weiss investigates everyone involved in the fraud schemes and influence peddling, it will be clear President Biden's DOJ is protecting Hunter Biden and the big guy," said Republican US Rep. James Comer in a statement to ABC. Comer is one of the lead committee chairs overseeing the impeachment inquiry into the president.

"I don't think people should applaud the system when it works for Hunter Biden, but then try to tear the system down when it works for Donald Trump, I mean, both of them have been...indicted on various charges," said Democratic Jamie Raskin. "The presumption of innocence operates for both of them, due process rights operate for both of them and ... we shouldn't take delight in other people's misfortunes, but we have to have a rule of law."