White House won’t rule out Biden commuting Hunter’s sentence if he gets prison time
WASHINGTON — White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined Wednesday to rule out President Biden commuting his son Hunter’s punishment if he’s sentenced to prison for federal gun crimes — saying she hadn’t discussed the matter with the commander-in-chief since his son was found guilty Tuesday.
President Biden, 81, told ABC News in an interview last week that he wouldn’t pardon the 54-year-old Hunter, but he has not specifically commented on whether he’d allow him to be sent to federal prison.
“I haven’t spoken to the president about this since the verdict came out, and as we all know, the sentencing hasn’t even been scheduled yet,” Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Italy for the annual G7 summit.
When pressed by a second reporter, Jean-Pierre reiterated: “I’ve not spoken to the president about this, and what I’m saying is, he was asked about a pardon. He was asked about the trial, specifically, and he answered it very clearly, very forthright.”
Joe Biden was spotted boarding the presidential plane Wednesday morning with Hunter’s 23-year-old daughter Finnegan — after the extended family, including Hunter, gathered in Wilmington, Del., Tuesday night.
Jean-Pierre told reporters in the rear press cabin of Air Force One that there were “a number of family members traveling on this trip with the president,” and sitting in the forward quarters, but added that “I don’t have any names to share.”
The first son faces up to 25 years in prison when he’s sentenced for three felonies related to his illegal purchase and possession of a revolver in October 2018. It’s possible his sentence will be as light as probation.
As Jean-Pierre referenced, a date has not yet been set for the younger Biden’s sentencing in Delaware federal court, but it is likely to take place in September or October — soon after his second federal trial in Los Angeles for $1.4 million in alleged tax fraud between 2016 and 2019.
Those proceedings are scheduled to begin Sept. 5.
Republicans, led by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), reacted to the Delaware jury’s swift guilty verdict for Hunter Biden by calling on the Justice Department to investigate President Biden’s role in his son and first brother James Biden’s lucrative foreign dealings, including during Joe’s vice presidency.
IRS agents Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, who investigated Hunter Biden for tax fraud and related crimes, alleged last year that the Justice Department had engaged in a sprawling cover-up to shield the Biden family and block the pursuit of evidence showing Joe Biden himself was involved in his relatives’ dealings with state-linked firms in countries where he had clout as vice president.
Follow the latest on Hunter Biden’s federal gun trial:
- Hunter Biden guilty of felony gun charges, faces 25 years in prison
- Joe Biden reveals whether he will pardon Hunter after first son convicted on felony gun charges in first comments since verdict
- Hunter Biden breaks silence after felony gun conviction, says he’s ‘disappointed’ by outcome
- Hunter Biden juror reveals the damning evidence that lead to conviction at gun trial
- Here’s what’s next for Hunter Biden following his conviction on gun charges
Shapley and Ziegler noted that Hunter Biden was allowed to run out the statute of limitations on some tax charges and accused Attorney General Merrick Garland of misleading Congress about the ability of Delaware US Attorney David Weiss to bring charges.
Garland ultimately elevated Weiss to the status of special counsel this past August, allowing him to independently prosecute Hunter outside his home district — after the first son walked away from a probation-only plea deal on the tax and gun counts over demands for even broader immunity for past conduct, including alleged violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which could implicate his dad.
Joe Biden has consistently claimed he “never” discussed business with his son or brother and said in December and again in March that he “did not” interact with their partners.
Evidence including photos, emails and witness statements indicate that Biden actually did meet with his son and brother’s associates from two Chinese government-linked business ventures and their patrons from Kazakhstan, Mexico, Russia and Ukraine, in addition to many of their domestic associates.
