Hunter Biden charged in gun possession case
US President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden was criminally charged on Thursday, after efforts to reach a plea deal failed, leading to the first ever prosecution of a sitting president's child. The indictment filed on Thursday US District Court in Delaware with three criminal counts related to gun possession. The indictment brought by recently elevated US Special Counsel David Weiss comes after a deal for Hunter Biden, 53, to plead guilty to two misdemeanour tax charges and enroll in a programme to avoid prosecution on a gun-related charge collapsed in a stunning turn in a July hearing. The charges ensure that courtroom drama will play an outsized role in the 2024 US presidential campaign as Biden, 80, seeks reelection in a likely rematch with his Republican predecessor Donald Trump, 77, who faces four upcoming criminal trials. Weiss was elevated to special counsel status in August after investigating Hunter Biden's business dealings for years as the US attorney in the Democratic president's home state of Delaware. Weiss was originally nominated by Trump. The younger Biden for years has been the focus of unrelenting attacks by Trump and his Republican allies who have accused him of wrongdoing relating to Ukraine and China, among other matters. Hunter Biden has worked as a lobbyist, lawyer, investment banker and artist, and has publicly detailed his struggles with substance abuse. Committees in the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives for months have been probing the Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings. Some party hardliners are pushing for an impeachment inquiry into President Biden. While Republican lawmakers have collected testimony that Joe Biden at times joined calls with his son's business associates, they have yet to produce evidence that the president personally benefited. Hunter Biden disclosed in December 2020 that Weiss's office was investigating his tax affairs. He has denied wrongdoing. (Reuters)