Court restricts prosecutors from presenting salacious evidence in Hunter Biden trial

A judge in Delaware has decided that some evidence cannot be used in Hunter Biden’s federal gun trial. The case is about claims that Hunter Biden, son of President Biden, lied on a form when he bought a gun in 2018 while using drugs.

Judge Maryellen Noreika ruled on Friday that prosecutors cannot use certain personal details about Hunter Biden. These include his discharge from the Navy and a child support case for his daughter in Arkansas. The judge made this decision to ensure a fair trial.

Prosecutors had planned to use parts of Hunter Biden’s book and laptop to show he lied about not using drugs when he bought the gun. They also wanted to use photos from his laptop. However, they cannot bring the entire laptop into the trial. Hunter Biden’s team can question parts of the laptop in front of the jury.

In 2020, before the presidential election, Hunter Biden’s laptop was leaked and labeled as Russian disinformation by some intelligence officials. His lawyers asked the court to block certain salacious details of his life to avoid unfair prejudice.

Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty. The judge agreed with his lawyers that details about money spent on adult entertainment and other personal matters are not relevant to the charges. The judge also said prosecutors cannot call his lifestyle “extravagant” but can show he spent a lot of money.

Hunter Biden bought a Colt Cobra revolver on October 12, 2018, and allegedly lied on the form about not using drugs. He was charged with possessing the gun while addicted to drugs. These charges could lead to up to 25 years in prison and fines of $250,000 per count, plus three years of supervised release.

In 2018, a gun owned by Hunter Biden was thrown in a trash can by Hallie Biden, the widow of President Biden’s late son, Beau. Hallie Biden might have to testify during the trial. The judge ruled that the defense cannot tell the jury that Delaware police declined to charge Hunter Biden at the time of the incident.

The judge also said the jury cannot hear about Hunter Biden’s pending tax trial in California, which is part of the same investigation by Special Counsel David Weiss. Hunter Biden is facing charges for not paying $1.4 million in federal income taxes from 2017 to 2020, which he has since paid.