(NewsNation) — While President Joe Biden has previously said he would not pardon his son, Hunter, who was found guilty on felony gun charges this week, the White House declined to comment Wednesday on whether the president will commute his sentence.
Asked by a reporter about “ruling out that (Joe Biden) would commute the sentence,” Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre answered that she has not spoken to the president about this yet.
“He was asked about a pardon, he was asked about the trial specifically and he answered it very clearly, very forthright,” Jean-Pierre said during a press gaggle on Air Force One. “As we know the sentencing hasn’t been scheduled yet. I don’t have anything beyond what the president said, but he’s been very clear about this.”
Speaking to ABC News anchor David Muir last week, Joe Biden said he would accept the outcome of his son’s trial in Delaware. He also said “yes” when Muir asked if he would rule out a pardon.
Hunter Biden on Tuesday was convicted of lying on a mandatory gun purchase form after saying he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs. He was also found guilty by the jury of illegally possessing that gun for 11 days.
The trial put a spotlight on a turbulent time in Hunter Biden’s life after his older brother Beau Biden’s death in 2015, when he was struggling with a crack-cocaine addiction. Hunter Biden detailed this in his memoir, “Beautiful Things,” which was referenced multiple times in the trial.
While Hunter Biden faces up to 25 years in prison, legal experts say it is unlikely he will get that much time. Judge Maryellen Noreika did not immediately set a sentencing date after the verdict was announced.
“(The president’s) been very clear. We’ve been very clear. He loves his son, and he and the First Lady love their son and they support their son,” Jean-Pierre said Wednesday. “I just don’t have anything beyond that.”
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
