Hunter Biden’s conviction on all federal gun charges has created a surprising new Delaware precedent — for Hunter Biden.
The verdict was relatively simple, with the jury reaching it in only three hours. Still, for Hunter Biden, it’s the first time he has ever been held accountable for any criminal conduct — be it prostitution, drug use, violations of numerous federal laws, or tax evasion.
The verdict, delivered in Biden’s hometown, was a surprising turn of events, likely amplifying the shock for the president’s son.
The Bidens have always been proficient at avoiding accountability, particularly for the extensive operation of influence peddling that brought in millions of dollars in foreign payments.
Their desire for special treatment has proved to be the undoing of Hunter, much like his appetites in other areas of his life.
Hunter and his defense team expected the same immunity level when he worked with David Weiss, special counsel, to cut an astounding deal to avoid any real punishment for these or other crimes. Even before the deal was cut, Weiss permitted significant crimes to expire under the statute of limitations — despite agreeing to extend the period.
The president’s son agreed to deal with what would have avoided any time in jail, which would have given him immunity and sunk the entire criminal code. Hunter and his legal team succeeded in securing the sweetheart deal, which shocked many.
More crucially, it shocked U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika, who only had to question the provision for immunity to have the entire agreement disintegrate in open court. The prosecutor admitted he had never seen a plea bargain like this in his lengthy career.
That is when legal greed became even more apparent. Instead of fighting to preserve the plea deal’s crucial elements, defense counsel said, “Just rip it up.”
Later, the special counsel stated Hunter’s defense team wouldn’t agree to a compromise agreement, instead forcing the matter to go to trial.
Instead, the defense team launched an open jury nullification effort to get the jury to ignore the evidence. In the Biden hometown, it was the best jury pool Hunter could have hoped for.
But the strategy for nullification was another manifestation of a greedy appetite.
Hunter Biden continued to demand a pass in a case where guilt was undeniably and unavoidably apparent to everyone.
Abbe Lowell, defense counsel, made a series of defenses that collapsed in incredible fashion in the first two days.
Lowell suggested someone else check the box and that Hunter could have had a brief period of no drug use and sobriety.
Hunter’s words replayed from his audiobook destroyed much of the arguments, and a store employee recounted watching Hunter Biden fill out the form.
It’s the first interview with a juror; it appeared the Biden defense overplayed its hand. The juror raised the text messages that showed Hunter trying to score drugs at 7-Eleven.
Lowell suggested he could have been at the store buying the donut.
However, the juror noted Hunter stated in his book that 7-Eleven was his favorite spot to purchase drugs, as indicated in his texts.
It’s one example of how an all-you-can-eat defense can fail to win a sympathetic jury’s approval even if it tries to get a donut.
The situation now is that all of this is playing out in front of the judge, who will sentence Hunter.
Noreika witnessed the attempt to secure the deal and the disaster in open court.
The judge watched as a defendant not only didn’t admit guilt but decided to attempt a jury nullification defense.
The history could weigh in favor of an abbreviated jail stint for Hunter, a risk that would have effectively eliminated a plea of guilty. Hunter will now face a greater risk in Los Angeles on the more severe tax evasion counts. Once again, it is an open-and-shut case.
It’s expected he will plead guilty in that case. If the Delaware case made any impression on Hunter, it is that there are genuine costs to allowing your appetite to exceed your limitations.
