Two Republican senators are asking the details on alleged involvement in a 2018 incident when a gun belonging to Hunter Biden, the son of President Biden, temporarily went missing.
Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., sent letters inquiring about the involvement of the United States Secret Service (USSS), FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in the aftermath of the incident. Their queries are in response to Politico reporting that the Secret Service inserted itself into the response.
On Oct. 23, 2018 texts stem from the incident in which Hallie Biden disposed of Biden’s .38 revolver in a trash can next to a Delaware high school.
“She stole the gun out of my trunk lock box and threw it in a garbage can full to the top at Jansens [sic]. Then told me it was my problem to deal with,” Hunter wrote in a text.
“Then when the police the FBI the secret service came on the scene she said she took it from me because she was scared I would harm myself due to my drug and alcohol problem and our volatile relationship and that she was afraid for the kids,” wrote Biden.
The Secret Service denied their involvement in the case, allegedly went to the gun store where Hunter purchased the gun and asked the owner for all of the paperwork for the gun sale. “The owner of the gun store reportedly ‘refused to supply the paperwork’ to the USSS agents due to suspicion that ‘the Secret Service officers wanted to hide Hunter’s ownership of the missing gun in case it were to be involved in a crime.'”
The two senators stress “According to this report, a ‘law enforcement official’ claimed that Secret Service agents in Delaware ‘kept an informal hand in maintaining the former vice president’s security.’ If true, USSS must explain to Congress why such informal actions were taken and whether they were necessary in light of the circumstances.”
According to the Politico article, Hunter purchased the .38 -caliber revolver from a Federal Firearms Licensee (gun dealer) on October 12, 2018 – 11 days before the incident with Hallie. Addressing Hunter’s completion of the required federal form 4473, the report noted, “Hunter responded ‘no’ to a question on the transaction record that asks, ‘Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance?’”
Lying on a form 4473 is two separate crimes.
18 U.S.C. § 924(a)(1)(A) concerns when a person, “knowingly makes any false statement or representation with respect to the information required by this chapter to be kept in the records of a person licensed under this chapter,” which would include a form 4473. A violation of this provision is punishable by up to 5 years imprisonment.
18 U.S.C. § 922(a)(6) provides, for any person in connection with the acquisition or attempted acquisition of any firearm or ammunition from a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, licensed dealer, or licensed collector, knowingly to make any false or fictitious oral or written statement or to furnish or exhibit any false, fictitious, or misrepresented identification, intended or likely to deceive such importer, manufacturer, dealer, or collector with respect to any fact material to the lawfulness of the sale or other disposition of such firearm or ammunition under the provisions of this chapter;
A violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(a)(6) is punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment.
The Blaze first reported on the incident last year. Both The Blaze and Politico reported that nobody was charged or assaulted as a result of the incident.
Politico reported that the gun was eventually found by a man who searches the market’s trash for items to recycle.
Sources: foxnews.com, dailycaller.com, foxnews