By Joe Biden has long been known for “BS,” saying he won’t do one thing but then playing word games to justify doing exactly what he said he wouldn’t.
When asked during a national interview, prior to the verdict, if he would intervene to protect his son following a guilty finding over gun charges, The New York Times reported, Biden said “he would not grant Hunter Biden a pardon if he was convicted in his felony gun trial, a rare comment from Mr. Biden about the legal troubles facing his son.
When asked during an interview with ABC News whether he would accept the outcome of the trial of his son, who faces charges including lying on an application to obtain a gun in October 2018, Mr. Biden said, ‘Yes.’”
Now that Hunter is facing time in jail, however, the president’s spokeswoman said he was mincing words.
He won’t pardon him. He’ll just use his pardoning power, writes The Hill.
Administration officials were peppered with questions for the first time since the verdict was delivered during a gaggle with reporters on Air Force One while the president was en route for Italy for the Group of Seven summit later this week.
But when asked about commuting a sentence, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre dodged the question and leaned on Biden’s response to ABC last week that he won’t pardon his son.
“I haven’t spoken to the president about this since the verdict came out and as we all know, the sentencing hasn’t even been scheduled yet,” she said about a commutation.
“He was asked about a pardon, he was asked about the trial specifically and he answered it very clearly, very forthright. As we know, the sentencing hasn’t even been scheduled yet. I don’t have anything beyond what the president said. He’s been very clear about this,” she added.
Biden: “I’m extremely proud of my son, Hunter. He has overcome an addiction. He’s one of the brightest, most decent men I know.” pic.twitter.com/TdRKl2D45l
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) June 13, 2024
Politico reported that the president “had been consumed with the trial for weeks and asked family members for updates when he was on a trip to France for the annual D-Day commemorations, according to two of those people not authorized to speak publicly about private conversations.”
According to the report, the president seems to be angling for a justification to ensure his son doesn’t go to jail.
“If I weren’t running for reelection, he would have gotten the plea deal,” Biden told a confidant earlier this month, according to a person familiar with the conversation.
Last July, Joe Biden’s Department of Justice was set to give the son of the president an “unprecedented” plea deal before a judge questioned why Hunter Biden was being given a blanket immunity from future prosecution of other crimes the he may have committed.
The New York Times explains just how ridiculous the proposal was and how it was stopped by one brave judge in Delaware. “Under the proposed deal, Mr. Biden would have pleaded guilty to two tax misdemeanors and averted prosecution on a gun charge by enrolling in a two-year diversion program for nonviolent offenders.
Called a “sweetheart deal” by critics, the deal began to fall apart when a copy of it was left in a copying machine revealed that the Department of Justice was giving the president’s son special treatment and Hunter’s lawyers were threatened with sanctions after lying to a court clerk.
NBC News said that the Biden family has struck a “defiant posture after Hunter’s guilty verdict.”
The president has reportedly been furious with Attorney General Merrick Garland’s handling of the case, believing that top law enforcement officer in the United States should have been more protective of his family facing the ramifications for their alleged crimes.
The guilty three counts carry up to 25 years in prison, but Hunter is unlikely to face the maximum. The judge has yet to set a date for sentencing.
Hunter is likely going to appeal to the Supreme Court, who, ironically, may use his case to determine the gun regulation Biden was charged with is unconstitutional.
[Read More: Top Biden Ally Facing Corruption Investigation]
