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Sept. 14 (UPI) -- Special counsel David Weiss filed federal felony gun charges against Hunter Biden on Thursday. The son of President Joe Biden faces three charges related to the unlawful possession of a firearm in 2018, court records show. The indictment makes him the first child of a sitting president to be charged by the U.S. Justice Department.
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Hunter Biden is accused of making false statements to a firearms dealer in order to acquire a firearm in October 2018. The firearm in question is a Colt Cobra .38 Special. The filing alleges that Biden knew he was "an unlawful user of and addicted to any stimulant, narcotic, drug and any other controlled substance," when he possessed the gun.
Weiss, a nominee of former President Donald Trump, was appointed to oversee the investigation by Attorney General Merrick Garland. He has been investigating Hunter Biden since 2019, prior to being elevated to the role of special counsel.
Hunter Biden agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor tax charges in June, but the deal fell through. A pretrial agreement to avoid felony prosecution for the gun charges also fell through after scrutiny by U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika.
The tax charges in Delaware were later dismissed at Weiss' request, opening the door for new charges for the same offenses. Weiss may still bring those charges forward.
The indictment comes in the wake of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's announcement that he intends to initiate an impeachment inquiry against Joe Biden. Republicans have seized on the opportunity to look more closely at the president's role in his son's business ventures dating back to his election in 2020.
