Hunter Biden asks appeals court to pause federal gun trial

Hunter Biden on Monday requested that a Delaware federal court delay his trial on weapons charges, which is set to begin next month.

His attorneys claim there is no urgent need to start the trial on its scheduled June 3 date, and that the current schedule leaves too little time between when the Delaware trial ends and a separate California tax charge trial begins.

The president’s son faces charges related to possessing a firearm while under the influence of drugs. Prosecutors claim that Biden lied on a form indicating that he was not using drugs at the time.

He has pleaded not guilty, and argued that he was only in possession of the firearm for 11 days.

Biden’s legal team also filed two appeals Monday, one attempting to get the prosecution dismissed, and a second arguing that his actions were protected by the Second Amendment.

The gun charge is at the center of months-long investigations into Biden, which nearly wrapped up last year in a plea deal that would have seen him avoid prosecution for the gun charge and face two years of probation for tax charges. The plea deal was eventually shot down by a federal judge.

Biden’s attorneys have claimed the prosecution is politically motivated, encouraged by the separate House GOP investigation into Biden family business dealings. The attorneys have also questioned the Justice Department’s appointment of Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss as special counsel in the case.

Prosecutors countered the evidence against him was “overwhelming,” including cocaine residue found in the pouch where he stored his gun.

The separate tax counts in California allege Biden failed to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes over three years while living an “extravagant lifestyle.” He is separately challenging rulings rejecting his motions to dismiss those charges, and moved Monday for references to the tax charges to be disallowed during his gun trial.