Biden won't pardon Hunter, White House reaffirms, but critics aren't so sure

Speculation is mounting that President Biden will pardon his son, Hunter Biden, who was recently found guilty in a federal gun trial, despite the president and his staffers saying he will not give the first son a pass amid his legal troubles. 

"I’ve been very clear; the president is not going to pardon his son," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in December. Biden, himself, addressed the issue last month, telling ABC News that he ruled out pardoning his son and answering in the affirmative that he would accept the jury’s verdict in the case. 

The administration assured Fox News Digital on Tuesday that the president's comments stood in regard to Hunter Biden's pardon. However, the credibility of those press aides is in doubt after weeks of denying Biden was considering quitting the 2024 campaign. Biden ultimately bowed out of the race on Sunday afternoon in a social media post.

"The president spoke to this in his ABC interview. His comments stand," White House spokesman Andrew Bates told Fox Digital on Tuesday when asked about any plans to pardon Hunter Biden.

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Joe Biden and son Hunter (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Republicans have speculated the president will pardon his son, with Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz saying the odds of Biden pardoning Hunter sit at 100%. 

"I'm going to place the odds that Joe Biden pardons Hunter Biden at 100%. Hunter Biden will get a pardon as a result of this decision," Cruz said during his podcast, "Verdict with Ted Cruz," on Monday, referring to Biden’s decision this week to drop out of the presidential race. 

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"It will not happen till after Election Day. He's not going to do it before Election Day. But he's going to stick around. And after Election Day, I believe it is now 100% that Joe Biden will pardon Hunter," he added. 

Hunter Biden was convicted by a federal jury on June 11 of lying about his drug use when purchasing a firearm in 2018. He was found guilty on three charges: making a false statement in the purchase of a gun, making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federally licensed gun dealer, and possession of a gun by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.

Hunter Biden had pleaded not guilty in the case. 

Hunter Biden was found guilty on all counts by a Delaware jury. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum/File)

Prosecutors worked to prove that Hunter Biden lied on a federal firearm form, known as ATF Form 4473, in October 2018, when he ticked the "No" box when asked if he is an unlawful user of substances or addicted to controlled substances. 

Hunter Biden has a long history of drug abuse, which was underscored in his 2021 memoir, "Beautiful Things." The book was repeatedly referenced by both prosecutors and Biden's defense team amid the nearly seven-day trial. The memoir walks readers through Biden's highs and lows with addiction to crack cocaine and attempts to get sober. 

Hunter Biden’s attorneys did not deny the first son’s long history with substance abuse during the trial, instead arguing that on the day Biden bought the Cobra Colt .38, he did not consider himself an active drug addict.

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Hunter Biden has not yet been sentenced in the case.

President Biden bowed out of the presidential election on Sunday afternoon in a letter posted to X. The White House and campaign had for weeks denied Biden would withdraw from the race, claiming he was in the election to win his rematch against former President Trump. 

Biden was self-isolating in Delaware after a COVID-19 diagnosis when he announced he would no longer seek a second term. He returned to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday after testing negative for the virus. 

In the wake of his departure from the race, others speculated on social media that Biden will likely pardon Hunter Biden. 

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The gun trial was the first Hunter Biden faced this year. He is scheduled to stand trial in California in September over nine federal tax charges. The case was brought forth by special counsel David Weiss, who also oversaw the gun trial.