WASHINGTON \u2014 A federal judge in Delaware refused Friday to throw out a federal gun case against Hunter Biden, rejecting the president\u2019s son\u2019s claim that he is being prosecuted for political purposes as well as other arguments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika denied defense efforts to scuttle the prosecution charging Hunter Biden with lying about his drug use in October 2018 on a form to buy a gun that he kept for about 11 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hunter Biden\u2019s lawyers had argued the case was politically motivated and asserted that an immunity provision from an original plea deal that fell apart still holds. They had also challenged the appointment of special counsel David Weiss, the U.S. attorney in Delaware, to lead the prosecution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Noreika, who was appointed to the bench by former President Donald Trump, has not yet ruled on a challenge to the constitutionality of the gun charges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hunter Biden faces separate tax counts in Los Angeles alleging he failed to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes over three years while living an \u201cextravagant lifestyle,\u201d during his days of using drugs. The judge overseeing that case refused to dismiss the charges earlier this month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Biden has pleaded not guilty in both cases. A representative for his legal team didn\u2019t immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The president\u2019s son has acknowledged struggling with an addiction to crack cocaine during that period in 2018, but his lawyers have said he didn\u2019t break the law and another nonviolent, first-time offender would not have been charged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Defense attorney Abbe Lowell had argued Hunter Biden was \u201cselectively charged\u201d for improper political purposes. They argued that Weiss \u201cbuckled under political pressure\u201d to indict the president\u2019s son amid criticism of the plea deal from Trump and other Republicans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Norieka said in her ruling that Biden\u2019s team provided \u201cnothing concrete\u201d to support a conclusion that anyone actually influenced the special counsel\u2019s team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe pressure campaign from Congressional Republicans may have occurred around the time that Special Counsel decided to move forward with indictment instead of pretrial diversion, but the Court has been given nothing credible to suggest that the conduct of those lawmakers (or anyone else) had any impact on Special Counsel,\u201d the judge wrote. \u201cIt is all speculation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n