WASHINGTON—Today, a federal jury in Delaware convicted Hunter Biden—the son of President Joe Biden—on all three counts related to federal gun crimes after lying about his drug addiction when purchasing a firearm in 2018.  

Heritage Vice President for the Institute for Constitutional Government and former federal prosecutor John Malcolm made the following statement:  

“The evidence of guilt—both direct and circumstantial—was overwhelming in this trial. While we are pleased to see the jury make the correct verdict, the tortuous path it took to get to this point is unacceptable.  

“The Justice Department, where I worked as a federal prosecutor, grossly mishandled this case from the beginning. Special counsel David Weiss caused the statute of limitations to run on some of the most serious charges that could have been filed against Biden, offered Biden a lopsided ‘sweetheart deal,’ and tipped off Hunter Biden’s attorneys about where incriminating evidence might be found.  
 
“Only after the department’s shenanigans were exposed did this case come to trial. That should not give anyone confidence in America’s justice system.”  

Heritage Senior Legal Fellow and former federal prosecutor Cully Stimson added:  

“Hunter Biden’s favorable trial conditions—ranging from a lenient Special Counsel to his political fame in the state he was prosecuted in—did not stop the jury from rightfully convicting him.

 

“As a former local, state, and federal prosecutor, I can say with certainty that this was an easy case to prove, and prosecutors did their job by proving their case beyond a reasonable doubt.

 

“But throughout this case, we saw how politicized and weaponized our current justice system has become. It’s long past time we bring back ‘justice’ to our justice system.”