Hunter Biden is under a legal cloud for everything from his taxes to international lobbying to taking money from companies in China and Ukraine. But there is another little-known investigation that federal authorities are conducting against President Joe Biden’s son. He is being accused of not being truthful on a federal firearms transaction form. One must fill out this form before a legal purchase of a gun can be made as it aids in a background check. Hunter may not have filled out the form properly.
What’s the Latest on Hunter Biden?
The latest event about this alleged wrongdoing happened on Capitol Hill at a hearing concerning the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Congressman Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin asked Rob Wilcox, the ATF’s Senior Director of Policy for Everytown for Gun Safety, a pointed question about Hunter.
“If a person lies on ATF Form 4473 and is a user of unlawful drugs, you can get between five and 10 years for that. Is that correct? Is that your understanding?” Tiffany asked.
Wilcox pointed out that the penalties for lying on the form can cost the forger up to 15 years in prison.
Tiffany continued. “Why hasn’t Hunter Biden been prosecuted for the crime that he committed?” Wilcox said he was unaware of the details of the case and could not comment on it.
Democrats Say This Is Not the Time and Place to Discuss the Younger Biden
Democrats on the committee immediately cried foul and said that the line of questioning was irrelevant since the hearing was about the intricacies of the Second Amendment.
Tiffany was referring to a question on the form related to illegal drug use. The form asks respondents, “Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance?”
Hunter Has Documented His Own Struggles with Drugs
Hunter has been upfront about his addiction to cocaine and other substances throughout his life. He tested positive for cocaine during a military drug test on his first day in the Naval Reserves (after getting special consideration to be accepted) and was mustered out in 2014. His memoir also detailed his problems with substance abuse, but he purchased a gun anyway in 2018.
The 2018 firearm incident in question happened when his sister-in-law Hallie Biden allegedly threw a gun owned by Hunter in a dumpster outside a store in Wilmington, Delaware (which was also in close proximity to a public school). This came after he had reportedly said “No” when asked the question about illicit drug use on the form. It is unclear if Hunter was using narcotics when he filled out the form or when the firearm was disposed of. But the New York Post reported that “His drug and alcohol abuse during this period have been copiously documented in news reports.”
Hunter Biden’s lawyer has maintained these details were illegally leaked from the grand jury looking into the gun incident.
The Washington Post in an article from October 2022 revealed that the FBI had “enough evidence to charge Hunter with making a false statement” on the gun form. But official charges have not been forthcoming.
Representative Tiffany believes that the accusations against Biden were an example of how certain individuals who are from powerful families get away with wrongdoing that ordinary citizens would be prosecuted for.
“Because there’s a dual system of justice in America. That’s what’s going on right now. And everybody’s talking about it across America. There’s two standards of justice that are going on.”
A committee hearing focusing on the ATF and the Constitution is probably not the most appropriate time to bring up Hunter’s investigation and alleged misstatements made on the federal form. But Tiffany does have a point that investigators may be dragging their feet when looking into the firearm incident.
This is another situation in which Hunter should be truthful and candid with his attorneys so they can give him the best legal representation possible. Showing that he has been clean and sober since the 2018 gun incident will be required during due process if he is indicted for the firearm entanglement.
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Author Expertise and Experience:
Serving as 19FortyFive’s Defense and National Security Editor, Dr. Brent M. Eastwood is the author of Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare. He is an Emerging Threats expert and former U.S. Army Infantry officer. You can follow him on Twitter @BMEastwood. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and Foreign Policy/ International Relations.
