Jury selected in Hunter Biden federal firearms case; opening statements begin Tuesday
WILMINGTON, DE - A jury was seated Monday in the federal gun case against President Joe Biden’s son Hunter, after prospective panelists were questioned about their thoughts on gun rights and drug addiction while the first lady watched from the front row of the courtroom.
Opening statements were set to begin Tuesday after the jurors-six men and six women plus four women serving as alternates — were instructed by Judge Maryellen Noreika not to talk or read about the case.
Wilmington’s courthouse became its own, bustling small city of media, security, and a couple of protesters as jury selection went underway.
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Hunter Biden, the 54-year-old son of the President of the United States, entered court hand in hand with his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, early Monday morning.
He’s facing three felony charges linked to claims he illegally purchased a 38-caliber handgun in 2018 by lying on a form saying that he was not using illegal drugs when investigators claim he was.
The case was brought by special counsel David Weiss, the Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney for Delaware.
Biden was followed into court by the First Lady, Jill Biden, who sat behind him during jury selection. She was seen returning to court after an early-afternoon lunch break.
On the upper floor of the courthouse, potential jurors were asked if they knew anything about the high-profile case, if they’d formed opinions about it, and whether they could be impartial in deciding Biden’s fate.
By a 2 p.m. break, a group of 33 potential jurors remained. Those excused had small children to care for, a sick loved one or weren’t sure they could be fair.
One potential juror who was sent home said she didn’t know whether she could be impartial because of the opinion she had formed about Hunter Biden based on media reports.
"It’s not a good one," she replied when an attorney asked her opinion.
Another was excused because he was aware of the case and said, "It seems like politics is playing a big role in who gets charged with what and when."
Jurors who were chosen Monday evening, included a woman whose sister was convicted about 10 years ago of credit card fraud and drug charges in Delaware. One male juror's father had been killed in a crime involving a gun, and his brother went to jail for possession of a narcotic. Another woman on the panel has a husband who is a gun owner and formerly in law enforcement. A third juror, also a woman, gets her news from YouTube and said she was vaguely aware of the case.
Expected to last a few weeks, the historic trial of the son of a sitting President, opens just days after Republican candidate for the White House, Donald Trump, was convicted of 34 felony counts in a hush money case involving his former lawyer and an adult film star.
Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty. President Biden, in a statement, said "Jill and I love our son and are proud of the man he has become."
The Associated Press contributed to this article.