The prosecution rested its case against Hunter Biden on Friday, featuring evidence and testimony that allegedly "exposed" his deception, according to Fox News legal analyst Gregg Jarrett.
Jarrett, a former defense attorney and author who is also known for his pro-Trump stances, wrote in an opinion article on Fox News' website on Friday that an FBI agent's testimony earlier this week helped reveal "Hunter's devious deception."
Hunter Biden, the president's only living son, is the first child of a U.S. sitting president to be criminally charged. He stands trial in Wilmington, Delaware, on three felony counts related to a 2018 gun purchase and possession of the gun while using narcotics. Prosecutors argue that he lied on federal documents about his drug use, which would have barred him from legally obtaining a firearm.
While Hunter Biden's past drug use has been well-documented, he has pleaded not guilty to the gun charges, arguing that he completed a rehab program shortly before he purchased the gun and checked off "no" on a federal form that asked whether he was an "unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance."
Court filings submitted by Hunter Biden's legal team last month indicate that the defense intends to question the quality of the prosecution's evidence and argue that the president's son was not using illicit drugs at the time of his gun purchase, while also questioning the language used on the federal form.
On Tuesday, the prosecution called FBI agent Erika Jensen to the witness stand to discuss text messages as well as drug and gun purchasing evidence related to Hunter Biden's laptop that he had left at a Delaware repair shop. The laptop was introduced as evidence and Jensen confirmed it belonged to Hunter Biden.
"Hunter's devious deception was finally exposed in court this week with the first witness to take the stand in his federal trial in Delaware on gun charges. FBI Special Agent Erika Jensen was handed the MacBook Pro 13 and verified the serial number as belonging to President Joe Biden's son," Jarrett wrote in his opinion article.
Since 2020, there has been controversy surrounding the president's son's laptop contents, chain of custody for the laptop, and possible tampering.
"Hunter Biden spent nearly four years insisting that his laptop was stolen, or it was not really his, or it contained false information likely planted by those sneaky Russians. Take your pick," Jarrett wrote, adding that "there was never any evidence to support those claims."
Just weeks before the 2020 election between then-incumbent President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden, the New York Post published a story with emails from Hunter Biden's laptop. The featured emails were in relation to Hunter Biden's Ukrainian business dealings and introduction of a top executive at a Ukraine firm to his father who was vice president under President Barack Obama at the time. The article did not include emails pertaining to the gun and drug charges in this case, although a video of Hunter Biden allegedly smoking crack was mentioned in the article.
President Biden has said he had no involvement with his son's business dealings.
At the time, Joe Biden cast doubt on the authenticity of the emails and said during a 2020 presidential debate, "There are 50 former national intelligence folks who said that what he's [Donald Trump] accusing me of is a Russian plant." Those intelligence officers released a letter on October 19, 2020, saying: "Emails purportedly belonging to Vice President Biden's son Hunter, much of it related to his time serving on the Board of the Ukrainian gas company Burisma, has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation."
During cross-examination, Jensen said she could not verify if the contents of Hunter Biden's laptop were tampered with before law enforcement retrieved the computer from the repair shop. When asked in redirect by the prosecution if she had seen evidence of tampering on the laptop, Jensen replied, "No."
Jensen noted that data from Hunter Biden's iCloud account came from Apple not the laptop. In his opinion article, Jarrett wrote that Jensen's testimony showed "all the material contained therein—emails, text messages, photographs and a plethora of documents—were original and authentic," adding, "It was all corroborated by Hunter's subpoenaed iCloud account with Apple."
Newsweek reached out to Jarrett and several other legal analysts for comment via email on Friday. Newsweek also reached out to Biden's legal team for comment via email on Friday.
Ahead of trial on Monday, Biden issued a public statement in support of his son, saying, "I am the President, but I am also a Dad. Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today. As the President, I don't and won't comment on pending federal cases, but as a Dad, I have boundless love for my son, confidence in him, and respect for his strength."
In a Thursday interview with ABC News' World News Tonight, host David Muir asked the president if he would accept the outcome of his son's trial. Biden replied, "Yes."
He was then asked if he would rule out the possibility of pardoning his son if he's found guilty, to which Biden again replied, "Yes," affirming that he would not use his executive privilege to exonerate his son. Presidents can issue pardons for federal crimes.
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