Washington

US President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden was indicted by a federal court in Delaware on Thursday for illegally buying a gun five years ago while using drugs, putting his father's political ambitions in disarray once again. 

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Hunter was charged with two counts related to filing a form wherein he falsely claimed that he was not using drugs illegally at the time of purchase of the gun. The third count alleges that based on the false statements, he possessed a firearm while using narcotics, during an 11-day period in October of that year.

The president's son has been criminally charged after efforts to reach a plea deal failed, in a stunning manner, at the eleventh hour. US District Judge Maryellen Noreika presiding over the case said she could not "rubber stamp the agreement", after raising certain concerns regarding the terms of the deal. 

If the plea deal cut between the prosecutors and Hunter's team had stood valid, the gun charge would have been expunged after two years of probation. 

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The filing of the charges means that Biden Sr. will have a tough time on the road while campaigning for his 2024 presidential re-election bid. 

Also read | Biden administration splurging $265,000 to protect itself from legal troubles

Hunter's lawyers warning 

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Last month, Hunter's lawyers warned the Department of Justice (DoJ) that the defence would put the president in the witness box after news leaked that federal agents had enough evidence to charge him with illegally buying a firearm while still using crack cocaine.

“President Biden now unquestionably would be a fact witness for the defence in any criminal trial,” read a 32-page letter written by Hunter’s lawyer, Chris Clark to prosecutors. 

“This of all cases justifies neither the spectacle of a sitting President testifying at a criminal trial nor the potential for a resulting Constitutional crisis,” Clark added.

WATCH | Gravitas: Hunter Biden to plead guilty to tax crimes

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An additional 300 pages of emails reviewed by the New York Post showed the extent to which Hunter's lawyers went in an attempt to arrange the "sweet plea deal', which would have kept him out of prison before it fell apart. 

Notably, the case is being overseen by special counsel David Weiss, who was appointed by Trump during his tenure. Weiss opened the investigation way back in 2018, a year before Joe Biden announced his candidacy for president. 

The framing of the charges against Hunter comes a couple of days after House of Representatives Republicans moved to open an impeachment inquiry against Joe Biden related to Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings. 

(With input from agencies)

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