Wilmington, Del. — A group of twelve jurors and four alternates have been chosen for the historic criminal trial of President Joe Biden’s son Hunter, with opening statements set to take place on Tuesday.
The jurors were selected after they answered questions about topics such as their experience with guns, views of law enforcement, history of political donations, political views, and exposure to news coverage of Hunter Biden’s federal gun charges.
More than 60 jurors were interviewed as part of the selection process. Their names are not being publicized.
Potential jurors were filtered out for many reasons, including social interactions with members of the Biden family and an inability to assess the case impartially. The questions were specific to the details of the case and the unique circumstances surrounding it.
U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika gave potential jurors a list of questions to elicit their views and experiences. If the prospective juror answered “yes” to any of the questions, Noreika would ask follow-up questions and give both sides the chance to do so.
Noreika dismissed the selected jurors Monday afternoon after reading the appropriate instructions. She implored them not to read anything about the case or listen to others discussing the case as it progresses, to ensure that they remain impartial until rendering a verdict.
Jill Biden spent her 73rd birthday at the courthouse to support her stepson. Her husband, President Biden, said in a statement on Monday that he is “proud” of his son and his recovery from drug addiction. Soon after the jury was dismissed, the first lady left the courthouse, with Secret Service agents escorting her from the premises.
Hunter Biden departed the courthouse in Wilmington, Delaware a few minutes ago. Right behind him, Abbe Lowell and Kevin Morris. pic.twitter.com/6aCfgStac8
— James Lynch (@jameslynch32) June 3, 2024
Hunter Biden left the courthouse a few minutes later, holding hands with wife Melissa Cohen Biden, the mother of his son Beau. The pair immediately entered a Secret Service vehicle and left downtown Wilmington, where Joe Biden’s 2024 reelection campaign is headquartered.
Trailing Hunter was his defense attorney, Abbe D. Lowell, and Hunter’s friend and patron Kevin Morris. After giving Biden roughly $6.5 million of financial assistance, Morris is reportedly cutting off funding for Biden’s legal defense.
The proceedings will resume Tuesday morning with the prosecution’s opening statement outlining its case against Biden. Special counsel David Weiss’s team is prosecuting Biden on three federal gun charges connected to a firearm purchase he made in October 2018 when he was battling an addiction to crack cocaine. Following the opening statements, the prosecution will bring witnesses and introduce evidence to substantiate the case against the defendant.
Hunter Biden is facing two false-statements charges for allegedly stating he was not addicted to a controlled substance at the time of the gun purchase. The third charge against Biden is for allegedly possessing the weapon for eleven days while addicted to a controlled substance. All three charges are felonies. He pleaded not guilty last year and faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.