Defense rests in Hunter Biden gun case without defendant testifying, closing argument to begin

Hunter Biden's defense rested their case in his Delaware gun trial Monday without calling the first son to testify.

The gun trial is now in its sixth day, with closing arguments starting after lunch. The trial resumed after a week of witness testimony from ex-girlfriends, an ex-wife and other Biden family members. The unprecedented trial of of the child of a sitting American president is expected to enter its final stages with closing arguments beginning shortly.

The prosecution rested its case last week and the defense spent the weekend contemplating whether or not to call Biden to the stand to testify in his own defense. “We are down to that last decision,” Lowell told the judge last week.

Hunter Biden was charged in Delaware by Justice Department special counsel David Weiss with three felony crimes in connection to 2018 firearm purchase while he was using drugs. The accusations include lying to the licensed gun dealer, making a false claim on the application used to screen firearm's buyers by declaring he was not a drug user, and illegally possessing the firearm for 11 days.

Several witnesses told the jury they witnessed Hunter Biden's crack cocaine addiction first hand at the time when he purchased the firearm at a Wilmington gun shop. 

President Joe Biden said last week that he would not consider a pardon for his son and said he would accept the outcome of the trial. 

Hunter Biden is set to face other charges in California before the 2024 election on federal tax charges after he failed to pay $1.4 million in taxes over four years. His debt has since been settled, the Associated Press reported. That trial is set to begin in September after the judge recently granted a delay.