President Joe Biden said Thursday that he has ruled out using his clemency powers in the event that first son Hunter Biden is found guilty in either of his federal trials.
In an interview that is set to air later Thursday, Biden told ABC News "World News Tonight" that he would respect the verdicts in either of the cases involving Hunter, one a federal gun crimes trial, currently underway, and the other tax evasion.
President Biden said "yes" when asked if he had ruled out pardoning Hunter; the president said "yes" again when asked if he would respect the verdicts, according to the Washington Examiner, citing excerpts of Biden’s interview with David Muir of ABC News.
Hunter Biden is on trial in Wilmington, Delaware, for lying on paperwork to obtain a firearm. Prosecutors say he lied about being addicted to drugs on the paperwork.
Joe Biden's claim is consistent with past questions about Hunter's legal liability. The White House last July rejected the idea of a presidential pardon for Hunter when a plea deal struck with prosecutors fell apart. The White House reiterated that stance again in September when the gun charges were brought.
"I've answered this question before and I was very clear. I said no," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a daily briefing then, referring to her July answer about a pardon.
Joe Biden took aim at his presumptive Republican opponent in November's election during Thursday's interview. Former President Donald Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in Manhattan last week.
"He's trying to undermine it," Joe Biden told ABC News. "He got a fair trial. The jury spoke."
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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