Former Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) suggested the American people would understand if President Biden chooses to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, who was convicted on Tuesday of three firearms-related felonies.
“Number one, President Biden is not going to do anything until the appeals are exhausted, and that will happen after the election,” Buck said on CNN on Tuesday. “So he’s going to have a lot more flexibility to make these kinds of decisions after the election, whether he wins the election or loses.”
“If he were to initiate a pardon for President Trump — who was convicted of federal crimes — the American people would understand what a father would do, because he pardoned his own son at the same time,” Buck added.
Hunter Biden, 54, was convicted of all three felony firearms charges for falsely claiming he did not use or have an addiction to illegal drugs on a mandatory firearm purchase form in 2018. He then purchased a gun and illegally possessed it for 11 days.
Biden reiterated last week that he would not grant pardon to his son and would abide by the outcome of the Delaware gun trial.
“As I said last week, I’m president, but I’m also a father. I love my son and I’m so proud of the man he has become,” Biden said in his speech on Tuesday.
“he [Biden] “I made the right statement at the time, which was that I am not going to give preferential treatment to any member of my family,” Buck said.
The president’s son faces up to 25 years in prison and a $750,000 fine, but actual sentences for federal crimes are often less than the maximum, especially for first-time offenders.
Some legal experts have suggested Biden will not be jailed because he has no criminal record and has complied with the terms of his pretrial release, including monthly drug testing, and he has not used a firearm to commit a violent crime, another factor that may be considered during sentencing.Reuters reported.
Buck retired from the House of Representatives in early March and said he was “happy to move on” after leaving the House.
