According to recent reports, the White House has definitively ruled out the possibility of President Biden commuting Hunter Biden’s pending federal sentence. Earlier this week, Hunter Biden was convicted on all three counts in his federal gun trial.
Currently, there isn’t a scheduled date for Hunter’s sentencing, but there is usually a several-month delay between conviction and sentencing in the federal court system. Reportedly, the president’s son could face up to 25 years in prison and a $750,000 fine. However, given that he is a first-time offender, it is anticipated that Hunter will receive a much lighter sentence.
Recent audio of White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on board Air Force One suggested that Biden, while she hasn’t spoken to the president on the matter, hasn’t ruled out the option of commuting Hunter’s upcoming sentence. A reporter asked KJP, “You’re not ruling out that [President Biden] would commute the sentence.”
She responded, “What I’m saying is that the president, I have not spoken to the president about this, and what I’m saying is he was asked about a pardon, he was asked about he was asked about the trial specifically, and he answered it very clearly, very forthright. As we know, the sentencing hasn’t even been scheduled yet. I don’t have anything beyond what the President said, he’s been very clear about this.”
This seemingly contradicts prior comments from President Biden, where he claimed he would accept the outcome of his son’s federal trial. During an interview with ABC News’s David Muir, Biden indicated that he would not pardon his son if he were convicted on his gun charges.
However, recent reports appear to reaffirm that Biden won’t seek to commute Hunter’s sentence. “I’m extremely proud of my son Hunter. He has overcome an addiction, he’s one of the brightest, most decent men I know,” Biden said at a news conference at the G7 summit. “I am satisfied that I’m not going to do anything — I said I’d abide by the jury decision. I will do that. And I will not pardon him.”
The American Tribune further reported on comments from the president where he claimed Hunter would have received a plea deal if he weren’t seeking reelection, implying that there could be political motivation behind the conviction.
Reportedly, Biden told an individual close to him that “If I weren’t running for re-election, he would have gotten the plea deal.” Following the verdict, Biden released a statement in support of his son. “As I said last week, I am the president, but I am also a dad. Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today,” he said.
“So many families who have had loved ones battle addiction understand the feeling of pride seeing someone you love come out the other side and be so strong and resilient in recovery. As I also said last week, I will accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal,” the president continued.
Featured image credit: Featured image credit: By Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from Washington D.C, United States – 210120-D-WD757-2097, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=99135585
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