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President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden plans to plead not guilty to federal gun charges, he said in a court filing Tuesday.
He also requests that his first court appearance take place remotely.
In a letter to Magistrate Judge Christopher Burke, attorney Abbe Lowell said Hunter Biden will plead not guilty to three gun-related felony charges related to his possession of a revolver in 2018, regardless of whether the arraignment takes place. location by video or in person.
“Mr. Biden is not seeking any special treatment in making this request. He has and will attend any proceeding in which his physical appearance is required,” Lowell wrote Tuesday.
“Mr. Biden will also plead not guilty, and there is no reason why he cannot say these two words via video conference,” the letter said. “In short, Mr. Biden is confident that his constitutional rights will be respected by proceeding with his first appearance by videoconference.”
Hunter Biden was indicted last week on three counts related to his 2018 purchase of a firearm, including making a false statement on a federal form and possessing a firearm as a prohibited person .
Prosecutors say Hunter Biden was a drug user at the time of the purchase and therefore was not legally allowed to possess the gun and lied on a federal form by not disclosing his drug use.
Earlier this summer, the president’s son tried to reach a deal with prosecutors on the alleged gun crime as well as two tax crimes, but the diversion deal quickly collapsed after A federal judge probed the limits of the deal, which prosecutors and Hunter’s defense attorneys disagreed over.
Hunter Biden had already been fingerprinted and had a mugshot taken while in court in July when his plea deal fell apart. Because it was in federal court, the photo was not made public.
His lawyer said the burden would be on government resources since Biden is protected by the Secret Service and would have to be transported across the country with heavy security around the courthouse in Wilmington, Delaware.
Prosecutors oppose the request, the judge noted Monday.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
Cnn