Hunter Biden to Enter ‘Not Guilty’ Plea on Gun Charges: Lawyer

Hunter Biden intends to enter a not guilty plea to federal gun charges, his lawyer said in a court filing on Tuesday.

The disclosure of Hunter Biden's intended plea came in a brief court filing by his attorney, Abbe Lowell, in support of a motion seeking to allow him to appear by video rather than in-person.

Hunter Biden "will enter a plea of not guilty, and there is no reason why he cannot utter those two words by video," Lowell wrote.

Hunter Biden, 53, was indicted last week on one count of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance and two counts alleging he made false statements in the course of purchasing the gun.

The indictment accuses Hunter Biden of knowingly possessing a Colt Cobra revolver in October 2018 while “knowing he was an unlawful user of and addicted to” controlled substances. 

Prosecutors allege Hunter Biden knowingly made a false statement on a form used in the purchase of the gun, certifying that he was not an unlawful user of controlled substances at the time.

Hunter Biden had previously agreed to plead guilty to two counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax while avoiding prosecution for a single firearms charge if he met certain pre-trial conditions. However, that deal fell apart under questioning by U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika at a hearing in July.

Following the break-down of the deal, Attorney General Merrick Garland named David Weiss, the U.S. attorney for the District Court of Delaware, to be the special counsel overseeing the continuing investigation.

Lowell's letter came in response to an order from U.S. Magistrate Judge Christopher Burke on Monday requiring attorneys for Hunter Biden to make their request for the video appearance in writing.

Burke has ordered prosecutors to respond in a filing by Wednesday.