Reuters /
WASHINGTON — Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, was criminally charged Thursday with deceiving a gun dealer into selling him a firearm. It was thought to be the first indictment ever of a sitting U.S. president’s child.
The indictment, filed in U.S. District Court in Delaware, charged Biden with three criminal counts related to lying about the fact he was using illegal drugs in October 2018 when he purchased a Colt Cobra handgun, which would have banned him under the law from owning a firearm.
The charges, brought by U.S. special counsel David Weiss, say nothing about any violations of U.S. tax law. A prior deal under which Biden, 53, would have pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges and enroll in a program to avoid prosecution on the gun charge collapsed in a July hearing.
The tax investigation into Biden is continuing. Weiss previously said any possible charges would need to be brought in either the District of Columbia or the Los Angeles-based Central District of California.
The indictment came two days after House of Representatives Republicans opened an impeachment inquiry of Joe Biden related to Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings. The White House has denounced that step, made without a vote by the full House, as unsubstantiated and politically motivated.
The White House declined to comment on the indictment. An attorney for Hunter Biden could not immediately be reached for comment. A spokesperson for Weiss declined to comment.
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