Hunter Biden’s legal team filed a motion for a new trial in his federal gun case, only to withdraw it moments later, leaving many questions unanswered.
This development follows Hunter Biden’s conviction last week for lying about his drug use to purchase a firearm.
Hunter Biden’s attorneys initially submitted the motion to the Delaware federal court, arguing that trial judge Maryellen Noreika lacked jurisdiction due to pending decisions by the Philadelphia-based Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
The defense claimed that since the appeals court had not issued its mandate on prior orders, the trial proceedings on June 3, 2024, were invalid.
“The Third Circuit, however, did not then and has not yet issued its mandate as to the orders dismissing either appeal,” Hunter’s lawyer Abbe Lowell stated in the filing. “Thus, when this Court empaneled the jury on June 3, 2024 and proceeded to trial, it was without jurisdiction to do so.”
However, the motion was quickly rescinded, as noted in the court docket: “The Motion for a New Trial… has been deleted at the request of counsel.”
The reasons behind this sudden withdrawal remain unclear, with neither Hunter Biden’s legal team nor the special counsel David Weiss’ office providing immediate comments.
Hunter Biden, 54, was found guilty on June 11 of three charges: making a false statement when purchasing a firearm, possessing a firearm as an unlawful user of a controlled substance, and providing false information required by a licensed federal firearms dealer.
These charges stem from his 2018 purchase of a .38-caliber Colt Cobra revolver while he was addicted to crack cocaine. Biden now faces a potential sentence of up to 25 years in prison and fines amounting to approximately $750,000.
Despite multiple motions to dismiss the charges on grounds including the violation of Biden’s Second Amendment rights, Judge Noreika upheld the prosecution’s stance.
The Third Circuit Court of Appeals had previously rejected Hunter Biden’s attempts to have the case dismissed before trial, reinforcing the complexity of the legal battles faced by the president’s son.
This latest maneuver by Hunter Biden’s legal team adds another layer to the ongoing saga, intensifying the scrutiny on the Biden family. The swift withdrawal of the motion raises speculation about the strategic decisions behind Hunter Biden’s defense and what might unfold next in this high-profile case.
This story is still developing…