The White House reaffirmed Friday that President Joe Biden will not pardon first son Hunter Biden if he is convicted on the felony charges filed against him this week.
The younger Biden was indicted on Sept. 14 in a federal court in Delaware on two counts of making false statements on federal forms and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm while addicted to a controlled substance.
When asked Friday if the president would pardon or commute his son’s sentence if the younger Biden is convicted, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that he would not.
“I’ve answered this question before,” Ms. Jean-Pierre noted at a press briefing. “It was asked of me not too long ago—a couple of weeks ago—and I was very clear, and I said, ‘No.’”
The indictment follows the collapse of a plea deal and pretrial diversion agreement through which Mr. Biden likely would have avoided jail time for the gun charge and two tax misdemeanors.
That agreement, derided by Republicans as a “sweetheart deal,” fell apart after Trump-appointed Judge Maryellen Noreika expressed concerns about the scope and enforceability of the diversion agreement.
‘Dialed in’
The charges came on the tail end of a tumultuous week for President Biden after House Republicans launched a formal impeachment inquiry into his conduct on Sept. 12.“Today I am directing our House committee to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden,” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said in announcing the probe, citing “serious and credible allegations” of misconduct uncovered by Republican-led investigations.
“This logical next step will give our committees the full power to gather all the facts and answers for the American public,” he added.
One of the most serious allegations that has been leveled against President Biden is the claim that, when he was vice president, he accepted a $5 million bribe to facilitate the firing of Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin. At the time, Mr. Shokin was investigating a company for which Hunter Biden served on the board of directors.
While the White House has denounced the probe and called for scrutiny of those leading it, the president himself has stayed relatively mum, asserting that he remains “focused on the things the American people want me focused on.”
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan reiterated that response Friday when asked if the first son’s indictment had taken a toll on President Biden’s mental focus ahead of the United Nations General Assembly next week.
“You don’t have to take it from me; you heard directly from the president that he’s focused on delivering for the American people,” Mr. Sullivan noted. “That’s true in terms of what he’s trying to get done here at home, and it’s definitely true in terms of what he’s trying to deliver in the way of security at the UN General Assembly in supporting Ukraine and moving forward.”
He added that he had participated in the president’s daily briefing that morning and found that he was “dialed in on the key issues that we’re confronting and will continue to be as we head into the New York week next week.”
The president has rarely addressed his son’s legal woes, speaking out only on occasion to offer brief expressions of love and support.
When asked if President Biden had spoken with his son about the indictment, Ms. Jean-Pierre said she would not comment on the president’s private conversations with family members.
