Ex-Secret Service Member in Hunter Biden Jury Raises Questions

Republicans and figures in the Make America Great Again movement suggested that Hunter Biden's federal gun trial was rigged after a juror was confirmed to be a former Secret Service employee.

President Joe Biden's son has pleaded not guilty to charges of making false statements on a federal form while purchasing a firearm in 2018 and of illegal gun possession while being a drug user, specifically of crack cocaine. The trial's jury was seated Monday at a Delaware court.

The trial is expected to give the president's political rivals ammunition as the Democrat seeks reelection in November. Hunter Biden's trial begins days after Donald Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee, became the first current or former president in U.S. history to be convicted of a crime. On May 30, a jury found him guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The former president has repeatedly said the trial was rigged against him and has vowed to appeal his conviction.

After the jury in Hunter Biden's trial was confirmed, conservative social media users questioned the inclusion of the fifth juror—who was qualified with no objections, having previously worked for the Secret Service along with her husband.

On X, user @Grunt0313 wrote: "Apparently one of the potential jurors in the Hunter Biden trial works for the Secret Service. What are the statistical odds of that happening organically? Hint; they approach zero."

The Secret Service is a federal law agency whose agents are tasked with protecting current and former political leaders, including the president.

Other social media users complained that first lady Jill Biden, Hunter Biden's stepmother, was present in the courtroom during jury selection. They also took issue with Ashley Biden, Hunter Biden's sister, reportedly smiling at the former Secret Service agent and with members of the jury saying their friends or family members had histories of substance use.

X user @_johnnymaga, who has more than 90,000 followers on the platform, wrote: "The Hunter Biden jury has been selected and it's comically rigged, of course.

"Includes 6 people directly impacted by drug addiction and a former secret service employee who Ashley Biden smiled at."

The post included a clip of Fox News' Jesse Watters discussing the jurors.

"Another juror worked for the Secret Service. Her husband is still in the Secret Service," Watters said. "Ashley Biden reportedly smiling when she heard that. Oh, and there's an Obama donor as an alternate."

User @KarluskaP, who has more than 134,000 followers on X, also shared the clip, writing: "The Fix is in! Listen to this jury pool for Hunter—it sounds like a NA meeting with a Secret Service agent for good measure."

Newsweek has contacted Hunter Biden's legal team for comment via email.

The defense has argued that Hunter Biden did not see himself as an addict at the time he purchased the gun in Delaware, having recently been through a rehabilitation program.

The prosecution is said to be using text messages Hunter Biden sent as evidence in the trial, including one in which he described himself as being an "addict unlike beyond and above all other addicts that you know."

In his 2021 memoir, Beautiful Things, Hunter Biden also said he was smoking crack cocaine "24 hours a day every 15 minutes, seven days a week" around the time he purchased the firearm, despite saying he was not a drug user on a federal form.

The president is not expected to attend the trial over concerns that his presence could be a distraction. He would also need a Secret Service detail to arrive with him at the Delaware courtroom.

In a statement released Monday, the president praised his son's "resilience in the face of adversity and the strength he has brought to his recovery."

He continued: "A lot of families have loved ones who have overcome addiction and know what we mean. As the President, I don't and won't comment on pending federal cases, but as a Dad, I have boundless love for my son, confidence in him, and respect for his strength.

"Our family has been through a lot together, and Jill and I are going to continue to be there for Hunter and our family with our love and support."

Opening statements in the trial are expected to begin Tuesday. Hunter Biden faces a maximum of 25 years in prison if convicted of the three felony charges.