(Headline USA) President Joe Biden responded to news of Hunter Biden’s felony conviction on Tuesday by saying he was “so proud” of his son and that he will “respect” the jury’s conviction.
Hunter Biden was found guilty on all three felony gun charges reluctantly brought by special counsel David Weiss over Hunter’s illegal purchase of a firearm in 2018. Hunter’s legal team must now decide whether to appeal the outcome.
In a statement released shortly after the verdict was handed down, Biden attempted to appeal to other families whose loved ones have struggled with addiction.
“Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today. 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,” the president said.
He added, “I am the president, but I am also a Dad. I love our son … I will accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal.”
Notably, the president did not raise the idea of a presidential pardon, though he has denied that he would use his executive authority to pardon Hunter Biden.
However, even CNN has questioned the sincerity of Biden’s pledge.
“Let’s wait and see what happens if he loses,” CNN’s Chris Wallace said last week.
Commentator Jonah Goldberg agreed, predicting that if Hunter’s conviction resulted in prison time, Joe Biden would be more likely to issue a pardon, regardless of his previous promise not to.
“If he does get a real prison sentence, despite your endearing faith in Joe Biden’s word, Joe Biden will pardon his son to spare him a prison sentence after the election one way or the other,” Goldberg said.
Biden also has the authority to commute the sentence without technically pardoning his son.
