Hunter Biden request to appear in court by video rejected by judge

A federal judge has ordered that Hunter Biden appear in court for his arraignment on federal gun charges despite his requests to have his first hearing to take place virtually. 

President Biden’s son was charged by Special Counsel David Weiss with making a false statement in the purchase of a firearm; making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federal firearms licensed dealer; and one count of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance. 

Hunter’s lawyers on Tuesday told the court the president’s son is expected to plead not guilty, while requesting his first appearance take place on video conference — something Weiss’ team opposed in a filing early Wednesday. 

On Wednesday afternoon, U.S. Magistrate Judge from the District of Delaware Christopher Burke rejected Hunter’s request, saying he should not receive special treatment. 

‘In the end, the Court agrees with both the Defendant and the Government, that Defendant should not receive special treatment in this matter — absent some unusual circumstance, he should be treated just as would any other defendant in our Court,’ Burke stated in the filing. 

Hunter’s court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 3 at 10 a.m. in Delaware. 

Weiss’ opposition filing cited the ‘serious felony gun charges at issue in this case.’ 

The federal gun charges are the first charges Weiss has brought against Hunter since being granted special counsel status. 

‘Hunter Biden possessing an unloaded gun for 11 day [sic] was not a threat to public safety, but a prosecutor, with all the power imaginable, bending to political pressure presents a grave threat to our system of justice,’ Hunter Biden’s attorney Abbe Lowell said in a statement earlier this week. ‘We believe these charges are barred by the agreement the prosecutors made with Mr. Biden, the recent rulings by several federal courts that this statute is unconstitutional, and the facts that he did not violate that law, and we plan to demonstrate all of that in court.’ 

Fox News first reported in 2021 that police had responded to an incident in 2018, when a gun owned by Hunter was thrown into a trash can outside a market in Delaware.

A source with knowledge of the Oct. 23, 2018, police report told Fox News that it indicated that Hallie Biden, who is the widow of President Biden’s late son, Beau, and who was in a relationship with Hunter at the time, threw a gun owned by Hunter in a dumpster behind a market near a school.

A firearm transaction report reviewed by Fox News indicated that Hunter purchased a gun earlier that month.

On the firearm transaction report, Hunter answered in the negative when asked if he was ‘an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance.’

Hunter was discharged from the Navy in 2014 after testing positive for cocaine.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.