United States: The lawyer of Mr. Hunter Biden, son of US President Mr. Joe Biden, has said that he will plead not guilty to three criminal charges relating to a gun purchase he made in 2018.
The attorney, Mr. Abbe Lowell, confirmed the planned plea in a letter to the judge and requested that the first court appearance be conducted remotely.
The US President was also accused last week of having a gun while using illegal drugs and providing false information to purchase it. If convicted, he could face up to 25 years in prison, as per the statement.
Mr. Hunter “will waive reading of the indictment, which is merely a few pages and could easily be read at a video conference”, Mr. Lowell wrote in the court filing.
“Mr. Biden also will enter a plea of not guilty, and there is no reason why he cannot utter those two words by video conference,” Mr. Lowell remarked.
The attorney stated that requesting a video hearing wasn’t the President’s son asking for special treatment. Instead, he mentioned it would reduce strain on government resources and minimise disruptions in the courthouse and downtown areas due to the Secret Service detail with Mr. Biden.
Last week, Mr. Hunter’s legal team first requested permission for their client to appear remotely. The prosecutors disagreed with the request.
Next week, the House of Representatives Oversight Committee will conduct its initial impeachment inquiry hearing regarding the President and his son’s business dealings. The White House argues that this Republican-led inquiry is driven by political motives and built on unfounded allegations.
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