Hunter Biden Indicted

Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, was indicted yesterday on three federal firearm charges relating to a 2018 gun purchase. The move comes after a plea deal, which would have averted a criminal trial, fell apart in July. Prosecutors allege Hunter Biden lied twice when filling out paperwork when buying a Colt Cobra revolver, checking two boxes asserting he was not an active drug user (he later admitted habitually using crack cocaine during the time period). He faces a third charge for possessing a firearm as an active drug user. The first two counts each carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, while the third carries a maximum of five. Under the previous deal, Hunter Biden agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax violations while dropping the firearm charges if he avoided trouble for two years. The agreement unraveled under questioning by the presiding judge over the provisions. The case is separate from allegations by House Republicans that Joe Biden engaged in improper business dealings with his son, which is now the subject of an impeachment probe (see previous write-up).