Hunter Biden tells court he plans to plead not guilty to gun charges
By Kara Scannell, CNN
(CNN) — President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, plans to plead not guilty to federal gun charges, he said in a court filing Tuesday.
He is also asking for his initial court appearance to be held remotely.
In a letter to Magistrate Judge Christopher Burke, attorney Abbe Lowell said Hunter Biden will plead not guilty to the three felony gun charges relating his possession of a revolver in 2018 whether the appearance is held over video or in person.
“Mr. Biden is not seeking any special treatment in making this request. He has attended and will attend any proceedings in which his physical appearance is required,” Lowell wrote Tuesday.
“Mr. Biden also will enter a plea of not guilty, and there is no reason why he cannot utter those two words by video conference,” the letter states. “In short, Mr. Biden is satisfied that his constitutional rights will be met by conducting his initial appearance by video conference.”
Hunter Biden was indicted last week on three charges relating to his purchase of a gun in 2018, including making a false statement on a federal form and possession of a firearm as a prohibited person.
Prosecutors say Hunter Biden was a drug user at the time of the purchase and was therefore not legally permitted to own the weapon and lied on a federal form by not disclosing his drug use.
Earlier this summer, the president’s son attempted to reach a deal with prosecutors over the alleged firearm offense as well as two tax misdemeanors but the diversion agreement quickly fell apart after a federal judge probed the limits of the agreement, which prosecutors and defense attorneys for Hunter disagreed on.
Hunter Biden was previously fingerprinted and had his mug shot taken when he was in court in July when his plea deal collapsed. Because it was in federal court, the photo was not made public.
His lawyer said the burden would be on government resources since Biden is protected by the Secret Service and would need to be transported across the country with enhanced security needed around the Wilmington, Delaware, courthouse.
Prosecutors oppose the request, the judge noted on Monday.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
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CNN’s Holmes Lybrand contributed to this report.
