US President, Joe Biden has reiterated that he will not grant a pardon to his son Hunter in his first comment on the matter since the Hunter was convicted of federal firearm offenses in Delaware.
Hunter Biden was found guilty on three federal charges this week, punctuating an emotionally tumultuous trial that unearthed many dark and private moments for the Biden family.
During a joint press conference alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the 81-year-old Biden called his son “one of the brightest, most decent men I know” — but added, “I will not pardon him.”
“I’m extremely proud of my son Hunter. He has overcome an addiction, he’s one of the brightest, most decent men I know,” Biden said during a news conference on the margins of the G7 summit.
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“I am satisfied that I’m not going to do anything — I said I’d abide by the jury decision. I will do that. And I will not pardon him,” he added.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre had suggested Wednesday that Biden had not ruled out commuting Hunter’s sentence on the gun charge.
The president has sought to draw a distinction between his own acceptance of the jury’s verdict and rival Donald Trump’s claim that his own legal issues amount to a “rigged” justice system.