President Joe Biden told ABC News in an interview Thursday that he will accept whatever a jury decides in his son Hunter Biden’s criminal trial and that he will not use his presidential power to pardon him if he is convicted.
Biden made his brief statements about his son’s historic trial in an interview with ABC News anchor David Muir in Normandy, where Biden and other dignitaries participated in a service commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day, a turning point for the Allied forces. during the Second World War.
Asked whether he would rule out a pardon for his son, who faces three federal gun-related charges in court in Delaware, Biden simply said: “Yes.” Asked whether he would accept the outcome of the jury trial, a first for a descendant of a sitting president, he again replied: “Yes.”
The White House had previously said Biden would not use his pardon power against Hunter Biden, who also faces a trial on federal tax charges in September. Presidents have the power to grant pardons in federal cases, but not in state cases. “I have been very clear; the president is not going to pardon his son,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters in December.
In a statement as the trial began Monday, Biden said: “As president, I do not comment on pending federal cases, but as a father I have boundless love for my son, trust in him and respect. for his strength. Our family has been through a lot together, and Jill and I will continue to be there with our love and support for Hunter and our family. The first lady has attended the trial for most of this week, along with Hunter Biden’s wife, Melissa Cohen-Biden, and several other family members.
In the ABC interview, Biden also took aim at former President Donald Trump for refusing to accept a New York jury that found him guilty last month of 34 counts of falsifying company records, calling the case “faked.” Biden said Trump was trying to “undermine” the rule of law.
‘He got a fair trial. The jury spoke,” Biden said.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
