After days of speculation, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has confirmed that President Joe Biden will not commute the sentence of his son, Hunter.
Last week, a federal jury found Hunter Biden guilty of three felonies related to the purchase of a revolver back in October 2018. Prosecutors alleged that he had lied on the attending forms asking about drug addiction and then unlawfully kept the gun in his possession for about 11 days. Federal law prohibits drug addicts from purchasing and possessing guns.
Last year, he passed on a plea agreement that would have recommended a sentence of probation for a ‘broad’ range of past conduct.
During Hunter’s trial, President Biden was abroad in France for D-Day commemoration ceremonies. While there, he pledged not to pardon his son, no matter the outcome.
The guilty verdict was then announced just before Biden was scheduled to leave for the G7 summit in Italy. During a press briefing aboard Air Force One, Jean-Pierre dodged questions about a possible commutation, as Blaze News previously reported.
“He and the first lady love their son and they support their son, I just don’t have anything … beyond that,” she stammered at the time.
Once at the G7 summit, President Biden seemed to reaffirm that he would not interfere with Hunter’s pending sentence. “I am satisfied that I’m not going to do anything — I said I’d abide by the jury decision,” he said. “I will do that, and I will not pardon him.”
At a press briefing on Monday, Jean-Pierre clarified where the president stands regarding a commutation, which would lessen or cancel Hunter’s sentence even as it preserves the conviction. RealClearPolitics reporter Philip Wegmann asked Jean-Pierre whether Biden has “ruled out any type of pardon or commutation or reduced sentence for his son,” and she replied in the affirmative.
“Yes, he has,” she said, according to the New York Post.
As this is Hunter Biden’s first conviction, he likely will not receive the maximum sentence of 25 years in jail. A sentencing hearing in connection with the firearm conviction is yet to be scheduled.
Hunter Biden faces yet another federal trial in connection with $1.4 million in alleged tax fraud. That trial is set to begin in September. Last year, he passed on a plea agreement that would have recommended a sentence of probation for a “broad” range of “past conduct,” the Post reported.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!