Biden Weighs In on Whether He Would Commute Sentence of His Son Hunter

Joe Biden has said that he would not pardon his son, Hunter Biden, in the wake of his conviction.

But White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked on Wednesday during a press gaggle on the plane to Italy if the White House would rule out that he might commute, and she wouldn't rule it out:

QUESTION: So you're not ruling out that Biden would commute Hunter's sentence?

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: Right. pic.twitter.com/yQ9Ew0ZV9J
— JohnnyOnTheSpot (@SpotJohnny11668) June 12, 2024

That got a lot of people talking about whether Biden was going to play these word games, and claim at some later point after the election, that while he talked about a pardon, he didn't say anything about commutation.

During the G7 press conference, Biden was asked about his son's conviction. He gave a garbled answer where he said Hunter was one of the brightest, most decent people he knew. He said he was "satisfied that [he's] not going to do anything." Then he said he wasn't going to pardon him, but would abide by the jury decision. So, again, that didn't seem to foreclose the commutation question, as I noted in that story.

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Then after Biden shuffled off the stage, he apparently answered another media query, according to the pool report, about the question of commutation.

Per pool: Biden says he won't commute Hunter's sentence as he is leaving his 2+2 press conference. WH press sec KJP left the door open for such an action during a press gaggle yesterday. @DailyCaller
— Reagan Reese (@reaganreese_) June 13, 2024

NBC News Senior Correspondent Gabe Gutierrez confirmed he asked the question and the answer was "no."

I asked President Biden whether he planned to commute his son’s sentence. (Different than pardon.)

He responded: “No.”
— Gabe Gutierrez (@gabegutierrez) June 13, 2024

I'd like to see that on video to confirm Biden actually understood. Sometimes, they shout questions and he seems not to really understand what they're saying.

But I don't really believe him, even if his response was clear.

After the election, whatever the result, Biden has very little to lose by pardoning him or commuting his sentence. Biden has a history of telling us one thing and then doing another. For example, he told us he would not leave Americans behind in Afghanistan. Then he did exactly that, hundreds of them, and thousands of Afghan allies.

Why would anyone believe anything he has to say on the matter? It's all about giving the "right" answer now, prior to the election. The real proof in the pudding of what he will do will come after the election. But Biden has serious credibility issues when it comes to his "word as a Biden," living up to what he says, and being honest. So, I don't think I'm alone in not believing him for a minute.

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Editor's Note: This article was updated post-publication for clarity.