US President Joe Biden says he will not pardon Son Hunter after gun sentence

Savelletri, Italy:

US President Joe Biden said on Thursday he would not pardon his son Hunter or commute any sentence following Hunter’s conviction on charges of lying about his drug addiction when buying a gun.

“No,” Biden responded when reporters at a G7 summit press conference in Italy asked if he would commute any sentence Hunter, 54, faces.

“I am extremely proud of my son Hunter. He overcame an addiction, he’s one of the brightest, most decent men I know,” Biden said.

“I said I would abide by the jury’s decision. I will. I will not forgive him,” he said.

In the historic first criminal case against the son of a U.S. president, a jury on Tuesday found Hunter Biden guilty of three felony charges stemming from his 2018 gun purchase while addicted to crack cocaine.

He faces up to 25 years in prison, although as a first-time offender, prison time is unlikely. No date has been set for the sentencing, but it is expected to take place in the coming months.

Biden said in a statement after the verdict that he loved his only surviving child — his oldest son, Beau, died of brain cancer in 2015 — and would respect the jury’s conclusion.

But his comments in Italy on Thursday were his first public statement about the verdict.

The day before his trip to Italy, Biden, 81, changed his schedule to fly to Wilmington, Delaware, the family hometown where the trial was held.

Hunter Biden was waiting on the tarmac when Marine One landed and received a warm hug from his father before they departed in a motorcade.

The verdict came as Biden faces a tough re-election battle against Donald Trump, who recently became the first former president to become a convicted felon.

Trump was found guilty by a New York jury of violating election law by lying about secret payments to a porn star.

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