WASHINGTON ― Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Monday defended President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, from federal charges relating to a gun purchase in 2018.
The younger Biden is standing trial in Delaware this week for illegally purchasing and possessing a gun while abusing or being addicted to drugs, a violation of federal law. He’s also facing charges in California for failing to pay his taxes.
“I think any average American who’s done their taxes like Hunter Biden would have probably faced prosecution, however, I don’t think the average American would have been charged with the gun thing,” Graham told HuffPost. “I don’t see any good coming from that.”
Hunter Biden admitted in a 2021 memoir that he was habitually using crack cocaine at the time of the gun purchase. He has pleaded not guilty and has argued he’s being unfairly targeted by the Justice Department. Opening arguments in his trial are expected to begin on Tuesday.
Biden’s lawyers previously argued that the charges violate the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, citing a recent opinion by the conservative majority on the Supreme Court which declared that gun restrictions are unconstitutional unless they can trace their origins to some time between the signing of the Bill of Rights and the end of the Civil War.
Hunter Biden has also described the charges as politically motivated, claiming that Republicans are trying to “kill” him in order to destroy his father’s presidency.
The gun case represents the first prosecution in U.S. history of the child of a sitting president and comes just days after Donald Trump was found guilty of 34 felony charges in New York City, becoming the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden expressed support for Hunter Biden in a statement on Monday.
“I am the President, but I am also a Dad,” Joe Biden said. “Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today. Hunter’s resilience in the face of adversity and the strength he has brought to his recovery are inspiring to us. A lot of families have loved ones who have overcome addiction and know what we mean.”
