President Biden has previously stated he has no plans to intervene in his son Hunter’s sentencing, and White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre fielded multiple questions on the matter Thursday, in the first briefing since the 2024 election.
“We’ve been asked that question multiple times,” Jean-Pierre said when reporters pressed her about Hunter Biden’s upcoming sentencing. “Our answer stands, which is no.”
When asked specifically if Joe Biden might consider commuting his son’s sentence rather than issuing a pardon, Jean-Pierre again stated, “No. That’s not what we’re going to do. That stands.”
Hunter Biden was convicted on three gun-related charges this past summer, although the sentencing date has yet to be finalized. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 17 after pleading guilty to federal tax charges, which could result in a maximum sentence of nearly 20 years in prison.
Some have speculated that President-elect Donald Trump could choose to intervene in Hunter Biden’s legal issues as a gesture to bridge political divides. “President Trump should pardon Hunter Biden,” commentator Piers Morgan wrote Thursday morning on X. “That would go a long way to setting the right tone for bringing a very divided America back together again.”
In October, Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt he would not rule out a pardon or commutation for Hunter Biden. “See, unlike Joe Biden, despite what they’ve done to me, where they’ve gone after me so viciously… Hunter’s a bad boy,” Trump remarked on Oct. 24. “There’s no question about it. He’s been a bad boy. All you had to do is see the laptop from hell. But I happen to think it’s very bad for our country.”
You can watch Thursday’s briefing in full below.
