Hunter Biden’s legal team suffered another defeat in court on Tuesday when a judge dismissed their latest attempt to delay his upcoming federal gun trial.
In Delaware federal court, Hunter Biden’s attorney Abbe D. Lowell argued he needed more time to prepare for Biden’s gun trial and lacked the resources to handle it at the same time his client faces federal tax charges across the country, according to Politico.
“We have not been delaying, we have not been tardy,” said Lowell, a prominent defense attorney. “We have been trying.”
Expert witnesses have hesitated to work on the gun case because of its prominence, but his team have three tentative witnesses, Lowell said.
Judge Maryellen Noreika declined to delay the case and appeared unsympathetic to Lowell’s pleas for more time. Hunter Biden’s gun trial is scheduled to begin on June 3, and his tax trial is expected to start only weeks later.
The younger Biden is facing three federal gun charges connected to his purchase of a firearm while he battled drug addiction. He was also indicted last year on nine federal tax charges for allegedly failing to pay over $1 million of taxes across a four-year span. Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to both sets of charges and has so far failed to get them dismissed.
Last week, an appeals court rejected Lowell’s attempt to have Biden’s gun charges dismissed after Noreika similarly rejected it. One of Lowell’s arguments was that Hunter Biden is the victim of selective prosecution by President Joe Biden’s Justice Department, a claim Noreika strongly criticized.
House Republicans are pursuing an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden focused primarily on Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings. Moreover, Hunter Biden’s legal team has filed a variety of civil lawsuits against his political opponents and is preparing to file a high-profile lawsuit against Fox News.
Often, Hunter Biden cites his battle with addiction to explain his actions during that period of his life. His memoir, Beautiful Things, offers detailed accounts of his drug problems and path to recovery.
Lowell compared his lack of resources to the vast capabilities of the federal government, a characterization prosecutor Derek Hines rejected.
“Your honor, you’re looking at the resources here,” Hines said, gesturing to his colleague Leo Wise. Both prosecutors are part of Weiss’ team assembled last summer after Attorney General Merrick Garland elevated him to special counsel. Weiss is simultaneously the U.S. Attorney for Delaware.
Lowell said he will seek an injunction from an appeals court to put Hunter Biden’s upcoming trial on hold. Noreika was skeptical his appeal would succeed.