Hunter Biden found guilty on 3 federal gun charges – National & International News – TUE 11Jun2024

Hunter Biden found guilty on 3 federal gun charges.

Ukraine to “store” F-16s abroad, risk broadening conflict with Russia.

NATIONAL NEWS

Hunter Biden found guilty on 3 federal gun charges

After about two hours total of deliberations over two days, the jury in Hunter Biden’s federal gun trial have found him guilty on all three counts against him. The charges were lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making a false claim on his application (claiming he was not using drugs), and illegally possessing the gun for 11 days. The jury found that Hunter was lying when he answered “No” to a question about whether he was using illegal drugs on an application to buy a gun in October 2018. Hunter Biden was an admitted user of crack cocaine for several years but is now in recovery.

No date was set for sentencing. The judge in the case said she would be in touch with the parties in the next 120 days to schedule a sentencing hearing. While Biden could face up to 25 years in prison for these convictions, it’s unlikely he will face prison-time as a first-time non-violent offender.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Ukraine to “store” F-16s abroad, risk broadening conflict with Russia

Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway have pledged more than 60 F-16 fighter jets toward Ukraine’s war effort. It’s not clear at this point how many pilots the Ukrainians have that can actually fly the jets. Some are currently undergoing training abroad in anticipation of the jets’ arrival later this year. 

Serhii Holubtsov of the Ukrainian air force says that “a certain number of aircraft will be stored at secure air bases outside of Ukraine so that they are not targeted here”. The aircraft would thus be safe and ready for use when needed in Ukraine as other craft are damaged or destroyed.

Holubstov assumes that while Russia would not hesitate to strike any facility where fighter craft are being stored in Ukraine, they would be more reluctant to strike such a facility in a NATO country and risk escalation of the conflict.

However, Russia does not seem agree that these planes would be off-limits to them if they are stored in a third country. Facilities holding combat jets are legitimate military targets and Ukraine has struck airfields and hangars in Russia numerous times. This would especially be the case if Ukraine uses these foreign airfields to embark on sorties into Russia before retreating behind NATO lines where they believe Russia will not dare retaliate.

By storing their jets abroad, the Ukrainians and their allies are gambling that Putin will simply agree to fighting the war with one hand tied behind his back. Statements by Putin last year indicate he has no intention of doing so. “If [the jets] are stationed at air bases outside the Ukrainian borders and used in combat,” Putin said last year, “we will have to see how and where to strike the assets used in combat against us. It poses a serious danger of NATO being further drawn into the conflict.”

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