Joe Biden left his son Hunter a voicemail urging him to ‘get some help’, three days after the president’s son lied about his drug addiction on a federal form to buy a gun – the offense at the center of his Delaware criminal trial.
The audio clip of the voice message, obtained by DailyMail.com from Hunter’s abandoned laptop, suggests that even the president knew his son was an addict in October 2018.
Jury selection began Monday for the trial, in which Hunter is charged with lying about his sobriety on a Firearms Transaction Record in order to purchase a handgun – a federal offense.
Prosecutors will argue that the First son committed three felonies by falsely stating on a form that he was not an drug addict in order to buy a Colt Cobra .38 handgun on October 12, 2018.
Hunter Biden (left) holds hands with his wife Melissa Cohen (right) as he leaves court Monday at end of the opening day of his trial on criminal gun charges in Wilmington, Delaware
Hunter, who is known to have battled drug abuse, is accused of lying about his addiction on a federal form he used to purchase a firearm on October 12, 2018. He is pictured left posing nude with a gun
And today, DailyMail.com can reveal that just three days after the firearm purchase, on October 15, Joe left Hunter a voicemail message indicating that he knew his son was struggling.
‘It’s Dad. I’m calling to tell you I love you. I love you more than the whole world, pal. You’ve gotta get some help,’ the president is heard saying in the audio clip.
‘I don’t know what to do, I know you don’t either. I’m here, no matter what you need. No matter what you need, I love you.’
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Hunter wrote in his memoir, Beautiful Things, that he was a ‘full blown’ crack addict at the time. The book will be used as evidence in Hunter’s trial.
Joe followed up with another voicemail on October 19, saying: ‘Hey it’s Dad again I’m down in Newport News Virginia, it’s about 4 o’clock.
‘I’m just calling to check. Just text me or something, let me know you’re ok. Ok? I love you.’
According to texts Hunter wrote to family members, Joe ended up paying tens of thousands of dollars for Hunter’s repeated stints in rehab to treat his chronic crack cocaine addiction.
According to pre-trial filings, prosecutors will be using material including texts and photos from Hunter’s laptop to prove to the jury that he was knowingly addicted to crack at the time he signed the federal form.
Joe’s voicemail is not currently among the evidence listed in the court filings – but it is in prosecutors’ possession, and could help bolster their case.
DailyMail.com can reveal that the president had left his son a voicemail advising him to ‘get some help’ – suggesting he knew about his drug battle – three days after the gun purchase
Joe’s voicemail is not currently among the evidence listed in the court filings – but it is in prosecutors’ possession, and could help bolster their case
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’
Special Prosecutor David Weiss’ deputies even hinted at ‘messages with certain family members’ that they may use in the trial if Hunter’s lawyers try to claim the First Son didn’t know he was an addict.
‘At present, the government has not included relevant messages with certain family members in the 1006 summary chart [a list of the prosecution’s evidence], but the government reserves to the right to use such evidence and may do so if the defense advances a theory that the defendant did not know he was in prohibited status because these messages are evidence of his knowledge of his addiction and use of crack,’ prosecutors Leo Wise and Derek Hines wrote in a May 20 court filing.
However, any prospect of the President’s messages to his son being played to the jury would be highly controversial, in a trial held in the Bidens’ home state and power base.
The potentially incriminating voicemail also flies in the face of Joe’s previous claim that his son did ‘nothing wrong’.
When questioned by MSNBC about Hunter’s plea negotiations with prosecutors in May 2023, the President said: ‘My son has done nothing wrong. I trust him. I have faith in him.’
Hunter bought the .38 revolver from Starquest Shooters in Delaware on October 12, 2018
But by then, Hunter’s gun purchase form had been published for over a year, showing that in October 2018 he ticked a box saying that he was not addicted to any illicit substances, in order to buy his handgun.
Joe’s voicemail indicates that he knew his son was struggling with addiction at the time.
President Biden has pushed for stricter gun regulations, signing into law a 2022 bill that widened the use of background checks with the aim of protecting children.
Days after the First Son’s gun purchase, his then-lover and brother’s widow Hallie Biden dumped the firearm and bullets in a supermarket trash can opposite a high school in Wilmington.
Police later found it and questioned the couple, Delaware State Police reports published in pre-trial filings show.