During a pretrial conference in Los Angeles, Hunter Biden's lawyers accused prosecutors of attempting to conduct a 'character assassination' by introducing details about his lavish spending and struggles with addiction in the upcoming tax evasion trial. Biden faces nine charges, including three felonies, for allegedly evading over $1.4 million in taxes while living an extravagant lifestyle from 2016 to 2019. His attorney, Mark Geragos, argued that the prosecution's focus on salacious details distracts from the legal facts of the case and insisted that context around Biden's addiction should be considered. Prosecutors, however, maintained that such evidence is relevant to demonstrate fraudulent claims of business expenses. The trial is set to begin on September 5, following Biden's recent conviction for firearm charges. Both sides are preparing for a contentious courtroom battle as the prosecution seeks to establish intent behind Biden's alleged tax violations.