Hunter Biden is all smiles as he walks into court for hearing in trial for 'lying about being on drugs when he bought a gun'
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Hunter Biden was all smiles as he walked into court Friday for a hearing as he awaits a trial that's expected to kick off in 10 days on whether he lied about being on drugs when he bought a gun.
President Joe Biden's scandal-plagued son is charged with lying about his crack cocaine addiction on a form when he bought a Colt Cobra revolver for $900 in Delaware in October 2018.
The 54-year-old has admitted he had substance abuse issues at the time, but his lawyers insist he didn't break the law and argue the case is politically motivated.
He walked into court with his lawyer Abbe Lowell just hours after he schmoozed with celebrities and the Washington elite at the White House state dinner with Kenya's president held Thursday night.
The first son did not walk the red carpet with other guests attending the dinner, leaving wife Melissa Cohen to pose for pictures solo, in her white structured Safiyaa gown.
![Hunter Biden was all smiles as he walked into court for a hearing for his upcoming federal gun trial](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/24/17/85305955-13456951-Hunter_Biden_was_all_smiles_as_he_walked_into_court_for_a_hearin-a-3_1716568868193.jpg)
Hunter Biden was all smiles as he walked into court for a hearing for his upcoming federal gun trial
![Hunter Biden chose to skip the red carpet at Thursday night's state dinner with Kenya, leaving his wife Melissa Cohen to pose for pictures alone. She told DailyMail.com she was wearing a dress from the designer Safiyaa](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/24/17/85306195-13456951-Hunter_s_wife_Melissa_Cohen_walks_the_red_carpet_alone_at_the_st-a-4_1716568868211.jpg)
Hunter Biden chose to skip the red carpet at Thursday night's state dinner with Kenya, leaving his wife Melissa Cohen to pose for pictures alone. She told DailyMail.com she was wearing a dress from the designer Safiyaa
Prosecutors and Hunter's defense attorneys have been arguing in court documents about evidence in the gun case, including contents from the infamous laptop that he left at a Delaware repair shop.
Defense attorneys question the authenticity of the laptop's data in court documents, but prosecutors say that there's no evidence the data has been compromised and that a drawn-out fight over it at trial would be a waste of time.
The laptop has been the source of controversy for years after Republicans accessed and disseminated personal data from it.
Prosecutors also plan to show jurors portions of his 2021 memoir Beautiful Things, in which he detailed his struggle with alcoholism and drug abuse following the 2015 death of his older brother, Beau, of brain cancer at age 46.
Defense attorneys argue prosecutors are cherry-picking evidence from the book and want to also include more information they chose.
U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika will preside over what's expected to be the last hearing before a trial that will kick off June 3 with jury selection.
Hunter is also facing federal tax charges in Los Angeles and is set for trial in that case in September - two months before the presidential election.
![President Joe Biden 's scandal-plagued son is charged with lying about being addicted to drugs in October 2018 on a form to buy a gun in Delaware](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/24/17/85305961-13456951-President_Joe_Biden_s_scandal_plagued_son_is_charged_with_lying_-a-5_1716568868212.jpg)
President Joe Biden 's scandal-plagued son is charged with lying about being addicted to drugs in October 2018 on a form to buy a gun in Delaware
![He walked into court with his lawyer Abbe Lowell just hours after he schmoozed with celebrities and the Washington elite at a state dinner with Kenya's president](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/24/17/85305951-13456951-He_walked_into_court_with_his_lawyer_Abe_Lowell_just_hours_after-a-1_1716568867989.jpg)
He walked into court with his lawyer Abbe Lowell just hours after he schmoozed with celebrities and the Washington elite at a state dinner with Kenya's president
He's accused of failing to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes over four years while living an 'extravagant lifestyle' during a period in which he has acknowledged struggling with addiction.
The back taxes have since been paid.
Hunter's lawyers have pushed unsuccessfully in both cases to have them dismissed.
They have argued, among other things, that prosecutors bowed to political pressure to indict him after a plea agreement hit the skids in court and was publicly pilloried by Republicans, including Trump, as a 'sweetheart deal.'
Trump, who is running to unseat the Democratic president, faces his own legal problems.
![Hunter, 53, has tried to get three felony gun charges that carry up to 25 years in prison dropped](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/24/17/80104313-13456951-Hunter_53_has_tried_to_get_three_felony_gun_charges_that_carry_u-a-6_1716568868295.jpg)
Hunter, 53, has tried to get three felony gun charges that carry up to 25 years in prison dropped
![Hunter allegedly lied on a firearm report (above) required for his gun transaction. A photo of the form shows he answered 'no' when asked if he was an 'unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/24/17/63382401-13456951-Hunter_allegedly_lied_on_a_firearm_report_above_required_for_his-a-2_1716568867990.jpg)
Hunter allegedly lied on a firearm report (above) required for his gun transaction. A photo of the form shows he answered 'no' when asked if he was an 'unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance'
He is charged in four criminal cases, including a hush money trial underway in New York.
The long-running federal investigation into the president's son had looked ready to wrap up with a plea deal last year, but the agreement imploded after a judge raised questions about it.
Hunter Biden was subsequently indicted.
Under the deal, he would have gotten two years of probation after pleading guilty to misdemeanor tax charges.
He also would have avoided prosecution on the gun charge if he stayed out of trouble.