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In a development that is so unsurprising it is barely news, Hunter Biden was indicted on federal gun charges yesterday by U.S. Attorney and Special Counsel David Weiss.
Most readers are presumably familiar with the details, but just as a reminder, Biden purchased the gun in question in 2018, following the legally mandated process for doing so. As part of that process, it is necessary to attest that you are not a user of illegal narcotics. Biden was a user, at that time, which means he lied on the form. That is a federal crime.
There are, however, two qualifiers. The first is that this crime is relatively rarely charged, and when it is, it is almost always to heighten the seriousness of (and thus the penalty for) other crimes. For example, if you lie on your gun form and then use the gun to rob a bank, THAT is generally when you get popped for breaking this particular law. The second is that the law is questionable enough that it's been struck down by the Fifth Circuit. That doesn't help the First Son in Delaware, which is part of the Third Circuit. However, the Fifth Circuit case is likely to end up before the Supreme Court, and they may strike the law down nationally. Alternatively, someone (maybe Hunter Biden) might challenge the law in a Third Circuit court. So, he could get a version of a Get Out of Jail Free card.
Needless to say, we have no idea exactly what Weiss' game is here. We do not believe he is carrying the water for the Republican Party. However, when one is appointed special counsel, one does generally feel the need to do... something (see Durham, John). Alternatively, Weiss could be putting pressure on Biden to reach a new plea deal. Or, Weiss could simply believe this is correct to pursue, as long as that law is still on the books. That said, it's easy to think that if this person was Hunter Smith instead of Hunter Biden, there would be no indictment here.
As to the political implications, in the short term, this is going to play into the whole "Biden crime family" narrative. In the longer term, an acquittal could serve to undermine that narrative. Further, the fact that Biden is not pulling strings to save his own son would seem to be pretty good evidence that he's not pulling strings to persecute Donald Trump. So, we're undermining that narrative, too.
There are, as yet, no details as to when Biden will surrender himself, be arraigned, etc. Note also that the child of a sitting president is entitled to Secret Service protection. So, if Hunter goes to the pokey, we should get an answer to how the U.S.S.S. will deal with a situation like that, should any other protectees be given a prison sentence in the future. You know, just hypothetically. (Z)