White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre did not rule out a commutation for Hunter Biden following his Tuesday verdict, even after President Joe Biden promised to not pardon his son.
A Delaware jury convicted Hunter Biden on three felony gun counts on Tuesday which related to his purchase of a Colt Cobra revolver in October 2018. Amid the trial, Biden said he would not pardon his son if found guilty, but Jean-Pierre appeared to leave room for a commutation while taking questions from reporters on Wednesday. (RELATED: Hunter Biden May Never Have Been On Trial Were It Not For Whistleblowers And A No-Nonsense Judge)
“I’ve wondered about a commutation? Whether that would be on the table?” a reporter asked Jean-Pierre, referencing the president’s previous comments on a potential pardon.
“What I will say, I haven’t even spoken to the president about this, since the verdict came out, and as we all know the sentencing hasn’t even been scheduled yet. But you saw the president do an interview just last week when he was in Normandy, and he was asked a question, several questions about this, and he was very clear, very upfront … Obviously, very definitive … you have his own words. I just don’t have anything beyond that.”
“You’re not ruling out that he would commute the sentence? ” another reporter followed up.
“What I’m saying is that the president – I have not spoken to the president about this and what I’m saying is that he was asked about a pardon, he was asked about the trial specifically and he answered it very clearly, very forthright,” Jean-Pierre added. “As we know the sentencing hasn’t even been scheduled yet. I don’t have anything beyond what the president said. He has been very clear about this.”
Biden previously said in an interview with ABC News that he would accept the verdict in his son’s trial and that he would additionally rule out a pardon of Hunter Biden. Jean-Pierre has also ruled out the option of a pardon when speaking to reporters in December.
“I’ve been very clear; the president is not going to pardon his son,” Jean-Pierre said.
The charges Hunter Biden faced were brought against him in September 2023 by special counsel David Weiss. Weiss alleged that Hunter Biden had knowingly possessed a gun while he had a drug addiction and lied on the purchase form. The trial that ended with a guilty verdict on Tuesday began on June 3 and the defense rested on Monday. The trial featured testimonies from Hunter Biden’s ex-girlfriend and brother’s widow, Hallie Biden, as well as Hunter Biden’s daughter, Naomi Biden.
First lady Jill Biden made an effort to attend the trial as she traveled about 3,600 miles to and from France to Delaware to do so, the Daily Mail reported. Her entire trip jetting back and forth between the two countries is estimated to cost $345,400 in flight costs, the National Taxpayers Union Foundation told the outlet. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is expected to cover the reimbursement for the trip, a White House official told the outlet.
“In accordance with relevant regulations utilized across administrations, the government has reimbursed the value of a first-class fare for these flights to Wilmington and back to Paris,” Jill Biden’s office told the Daily Mail.
Despite the first lady’s extensive travel, she still missed the verdict, rushing into the courthouse late, NBC News reported.