President Joe Biden said Thursday that he would not offer his son a pardon if he is found guilty of federal gun charges in Delaware, doubling down on the firm denial the White House gave last year, ABC News reported.
Biden, speaking from France, told the outlet in a sit-down interview that he would also accept the outcome Hunter Biden‘s process, whatever it may be. The president is in Europe to celebrate the 80th anniversary of World War II’s D-Day.
Hunter Biden is facing three charges over a 2018 gun purchase he made around the time he said he was dealing with a drug addiction, meaning he may have lied on an application for the gun and illegally kept it in his possession .
A plea deal on the gun charges and other tax-related charges fell apart last summer. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said a curt “no” when asked at the time whether the president would ultimately consider using his pardon power in the matter.
Opening arguments in the case were presented on Tuesday. Hallie Biden, widow of President Biden’s eldest son Beau, who died in 2015, testified Thursday that Hunter purchased crack cocaine within 48 hours of purchasing the gun.
President Biden has said he unequivocally supports his son.
His response to the idea of using pardon power on families stands in stark contrast to the actions of former President Donald Trump, who pardoned a number of allies, including — in the final weeks of his term — Charles Kushner, the father of Trump’s son-in-law. Law Jared Kushner.
Trump has also made a habit of mocking the nation’s justice system when it conflicts with his self-interest.
After being found guilty on 34 charges in his hush money trial in New York last week, Trump claimed he was actually “a very innocent man,” calling the judge in the case a “tyrant” who “looks like an angel, but he is in reality a devil.”
On Thursday, President Biden addressed Trump’s trial after previously calling his antics “reckless.”
“He’s trying to undermine it,” Biden told ABC’s David Muir of the judicial process. “He received a fair trial. The jury has spoken.”
