# The Hunter Biden Investigation {thread started in 2019}, Hunter Pardoned on December 1, 2024
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunter-biden-investigation-thread-started-in-2019-hunter-pardoned-on-december-1-2024/840964
**Category:** Politics & Elections
**Created:** [September 28, 2019, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunter-biden-investigation-thread-started-in-2019-hunter-pardoned-on-december-1-2024/840964 "2019-09-28T19:54:19Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 70
### Author:  [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2024, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunter-biden-investigation-thread-started-in-2019-hunter-pardoned-on-december-1-2024/840964/1384 "2024-06-10T22:27:11Z")
Well, has anyone _ever_ been tried solely for lying about drug use on the form? The whole thing seems to me to be a huge waste of resources. But then again, that’s what governments/politicians are known for.
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### Author:  [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2024, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunter-biden-investigation-thread-started-in-2019-hunter-pardoned-on-december-1-2024/840964/1385 "2024-06-10T23:07:17Z")
> [@MikeF](#):
>
> Well, has anyone _ever_ been tried solely for lying about drug use on the form?
Probably. But Hunter is also charged with illegal gun possession.
These are examples the prosecution might cite:
> **[Federal Prosecutors Aggressively Pursuing Those Who Lie in Connection With...](https://www.atf.gov/news/press-releases/federal-prosecutors-aggressively-pursuing-those-who-lie-connection-firearm-transactions)**
>
> OKLAHOMA CITY — The Western District of Oklahoma is aggressively seeking to keep firearms out of the wrong hands by pursuing those who lie in connection with gun purchases. Several recent cases charged in federal court highlight these efforts.
Looking at these capsule descriptions, they sound like special situations. But Hunter’s situation was also special because of all the time police spent trying to find the dumpster diver and the gun. Once the grocery manager called the police about a missing gun, and said he had video, I think we were on an unusual road.
If he is found guilty, I will not think the fact that other cocaine users got away with handgun possession as a reason to question the justice of the verdict (although I would question a first offense sentence of jail time). The other users, getting away with it, shouldn’t be messing with guns either.
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2024, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunter-biden-investigation-thread-started-in-2019-hunter-pardoned-on-december-1-2024/840964/1386 "2024-06-11T00:41:09Z")
> [@MikeF](#):
>
> Well, has anyone _ever_ been tried solely for lying about drug use on the form? The whole thing seems to me to be a huge waste of resources.
Not unless he was a known offender for other crimes, and that was either all they could get them on, or it was an add on charge.
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### Author:  [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2024, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunter-biden-investigation-thread-started-in-2019-hunter-pardoned-on-december-1-2024/840964/1387 "2024-06-11T00:55:46Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#):
>
> But Hunter’s situation was also special because of all the time police spent trying to find the dumpster diver and the gun.
Umm, could you show us the law that states anything like that?
Ya know, an actual US law and not something from a _THX1138_esq dystopia.
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### Author:  [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2024, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunter-biden-investigation-thread-started-in-2019-hunter-pardoned-on-december-1-2024/840964/1388 "2024-06-11T00:57:14Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#):
>
> But just plain possession of a small quantity for personal use, unless bargained down from more serious charges, is, I think, NEVER brought to trial.
Huh?
Possession of drugs is _regularly_ charged as a crime.
Are you drawing a distinction between being charged and going to trial? Few cases go to trial, but drug possession cases certainly do qualify amongst the exceptions.
Now, it is true that possession is rarely charged at the federal level, but that’s because mere possession is usually a state level offense (whereas dealing drugs across state lines could get the feds involved).
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### Author:  [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2024, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunter-biden-investigation-thread-started-in-2019-hunter-pardoned-on-december-1-2024/840964/1389 "2024-06-11T01:03:13Z")
> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> Not unless he was a known offender for other crimes, and that was either all they could get them on, or it was an add on charge.
Hunter is a known alleged offender for another crime — illegal gun possession. Isn’t that commonly charged, as here?
Consider this plausible explanation for the relative lack of 4473 prosecutions:
> [@](#):
>
> A [1990 Justice Department feasibility study](https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/ipotfipf-fs.pdf) noted how difficult it was to bring cases against people who falsely answer questions on Form 4473. Unlike the rich paper trail that exists for felons, no such record exists for drug abusers, the study said, noting that it is against the law to disclose “the medical records of persons who have been engaged in a drug rehabilitation program funded by the federal government.”
Well, guess what? They did not need rehab records. That’s because Hunter Biden wrote a well-reviewed New York Times best-seller list memoir where his addiction is a major theme of the book.
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### Author:  [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2024, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunter-biden-investigation-thread-started-in-2019-hunter-pardoned-on-december-1-2024/840964/1390 "2024-06-11T01:12:00Z")
> [@Moriarty](#):
>
> Are you drawing a distinction between being charged and going to trial?
Yes!!!
If there was a guilty plea, the originally charged crime was likely bargained down. The fact that small quantity possession was the one and only agreed to offense is irrelevant other than being an example of why plea bargaining is wrong.
The Biden case is the exception that goes to trial. Middle class defendants cannot afford to go to trial in a case like this.
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### Author:  [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2024, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunter-biden-investigation-thread-started-in-2019-hunter-pardoned-on-december-1-2024/840964/1391 "2024-06-11T13:02:31Z")
the jury is back to deliberate this morning. they had about an hour yesterday.
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### Author:  [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2024, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunter-biden-investigation-thread-started-in-2019-hunter-pardoned-on-december-1-2024/840964/1392 "2024-06-11T15:07:20Z")
Verdict in. Stay tuned.
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### Author:  [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2024, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunter-biden-investigation-thread-started-in-2019-hunter-pardoned-on-december-1-2024/840964/1393 "2024-06-11T15:07:27Z")
there is a verdict.
about 3 hours of deliberation.
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### Author:  [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2024, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunter-biden-investigation-thread-started-in-2019-hunter-pardoned-on-december-1-2024/840964/1394 "2024-06-11T15:08:31Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#):
>
> Verdict in. Stay tuned.
That was fast. Usually not a good sign for the defendant, but who knows with this case.
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### Author:  [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2024, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunter-biden-investigation-thread-started-in-2019-hunter-pardoned-on-december-1-2024/840964/1395 "2024-06-11T15:11:54Z")
If he’s exonerated, it’ll be because the prosecution screwed it up, not because the defense was particularly strong.
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### Author:  [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2024, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunter-biden-investigation-thread-started-in-2019-hunter-pardoned-on-december-1-2024/840964/1396 "2024-06-11T15:18:26Z")
Guilty on all three counts.
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### Author:  [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2024, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunter-biden-investigation-thread-started-in-2019-hunter-pardoned-on-december-1-2024/840964/1397 "2024-06-11T15:18:44Z")
guilty on all counts.
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### Author:  [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2024, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunter-biden-investigation-thread-started-in-2019-hunter-pardoned-on-december-1-2024/840964/1398 "2024-06-11T15:19:57Z")
I look forward to his rant about how unfair this witchhunt against him was and how biased the judge was against him. That’s how this works, right?
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### Author:  [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2024, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunter-biden-investigation-thread-started-in-2019-hunter-pardoned-on-december-1-2024/840964/1399 "2024-06-11T15:23:33Z")
his next trial is in sept. in california.
i’m sure an appeal will be filed.
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### Author:  [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2024, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunter-biden-investigation-thread-started-in-2019-hunter-pardoned-on-december-1-2024/840964/1400 "2024-06-11T15:29:37Z")
Just an FYI…
If our choices are, again, Trump and Biden (I won’t be thrilled), I’ll choose the guy who’s hoping that his troubled son doesn’t end up in prison over the guy who’s trying to keep _himself_ out of prison.
Every single time.
YMMV 😉
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### Author:  [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2024, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunter-biden-investigation-thread-started-in-2019-hunter-pardoned-on-december-1-2024/840964/1401 "2024-06-11T15:37:13Z")
I wish this case had never come up, but I can’t say I disagree with the verdict. I can believe that Hunter didn’t consider himself an addict, but I don’t believe he didn’t consider himself a user of drugs. And I think it’s good to not allow drug users to buy guns, so I wouldn’t want to set a precedent where every drug user could just check no to that question if they weren’t using drugs at that moment.
Perhaps they could require a drug test before buying a gun. Take all the subjectiveness out of the question. The test results would be attached to the form to make sure the purchaser was not using any illegal drugs.
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### Author:  [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2024, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunter-biden-investigation-thread-started-in-2019-hunter-pardoned-on-december-1-2024/840964/1402 "2024-06-11T15:43:47Z")
> [@filmore](#):
>
> so I wouldn’t want to set a precedent where every drug user could just check no to that question if they weren’t using drugs at that moment.
I agree with what you wrote, but I’ll point out that every user **is** checking no to that question. I doubt anyone who wants a gun has ever said “no, I’m not allowed to own a gun because I use illegal drugs.”
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### Author:  [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2024, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hunter-biden-investigation-thread-started-in-2019-hunter-pardoned-on-december-1-2024/840964/1403 "2024-06-11T15:47:09Z")
Former Trump attorney, Tim Parlatore, just did the sentencing math. He says the guidelines point to a sentence of 0 to 6 months.
Parlatore predicts not only zero jail time, but he also predicts a lot of strange bedfellows will present [**Amicus briefs**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amicus_curiae) for either a light sentence or overturning the verdict on appeal.
There’s also [**the Bruen case**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_State_Rifle_%26_Pistol_Association,_Inc._v._Bruen), as mentioned upthread.
I didn’t see a (conviction) coming, here. I doubt it will withstand the inevitable appeals.
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