United States president Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, has had his right to practice law in Washington DC suspended following his recent conviction on federal gun charges, with the possibility that he could be permanently disbarred.
The District of Columbia court of appeals issued an order on Tuesday suspending Biden’s license. They cited the guilty verdict on three felony charges from his trial in Wilmington, Delaware earlier this month, which they categorized as “serious crimes” under the district’s bar rule.
The court order also indicated more severe consequences ahead, as formal proceedings will now determine the nature of the offenses and assess whether they involve “moral turpitude”. According to DC law, lawyers must be disbarred if found guilty of such crimes.
“Biden, the son of Joe Biden, the US president, was found guilty by a jury of lying on a gun application form when buying a Colt Cobra 38 Special revolver in 2018 by not disclosing his drug addiction, and then illegally owning the gun for 11 days, before his then girlfriend, the widow of his late brother Beau, threw it in a garbage bin.”
“The trial, which featured testimony from several family members, was dominated by descriptions of Hunter Biden’s addiction to crack cocaine, and was attended by the president’s wife, Jill Biden. Joe Biden did not attend.”
“Hunter Biden, who described his struggles with addiction in a personal memoir and says he is now clean, has not yet been sentenced. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and fines of $750,000, although such punishments are rare for first-time offenders.”
“Biden denied the charges against him and his lawyer, Abbe Lowell has requested a new trial, citing procedural matters.”
“He faces another trial in Los Angeles in September on charges of tax evasion. Republicans have sought to tie his legal troubles to his father, setting in motion a stalled impeachment process in the House of Representatives based on unproven allegations that the president profited from his son’s business deals.”
