Joe Biden speaks out on Hunter’s conviction: President says he is proud of his son for battling addiction and accepts three guilty verdicts in federal gun case
- President Joe Biden said he was “proud” that son Hunter survived drug addiction
- He said he accepted the jury’s guilty verdict on three federal gun charges
- READ MORE: Hunter Biden speech LIVE
President Joe Biden responded when Hunter Biden was found guilty on all three federal gun charges by saying he was “proud” of his son for surviving drug addiction.
The president sent a statement through the White House counsel’s office shortly after the Delaware jury returned its verdict.
The first son was found guilty on two counts of falsely filling out a form – lying about his sobriety – when he bought a Colt Cobra revolver in October 2018, while the third count showed he owned a firearm while using narcotics .
“As I said last week, I am the president, but I am also a father,” the president reiterated. “Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today.”
“So many families who have had loved ones who have battled addiction understand the feeling of pride in seeing someone you love emerge on the other side and be so strong and resilient in recovery,” Biden continued.
President Joe Biden sent a statement in support of his son Hunter after a Delaware jury found the first son guilty of three federal gun charges. Later Tuesday he will address victims of gun violence
First lady Jill Biden (left) holds hands with her stepson Hunter Biden (center) and wife Melissa Cohen (right) as they leave the courthouse in Wilmington on Tuesday, after receiving the guilty verdict
“As I said last week, I will accept the outcome of this case and continue to respect the legal process as Hunter considers an appeal,” the president added.
Biden remained in Washington DC while the jury deliberated on Tuesday.
But after the ruling, the president’s public schedule quickly shifted, with him now rushing from an event in D.C. — ironically where he spoke about gun safety — to Wilmington, Delaware to be with his son.
Other Biden family members gathered at the courthouse in Wilmington throughout the weeklong hearing. However, the verdict came so quickly that first lady Jill Biden was not in the courtroom when it was announced.
“Jill and I will always be there for Hunter and the rest of our family with our love and support. Nothing will ever change that,” the president also said in his statement.
The president will deliver remarks to victims and survivors of gun violence this afternoon at Gun Sense University in Everytown, held at the Washington Hilton.
Biden will “highlight progress to keep guns out of dangerous hands,” the White House said Monday.
He is about to announce that the Justice Department has charged more than 500 defendants with violating new gun trafficking laws created by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the piece of legislation Biden steered through Congress and signed into law in June 2022 signed the law.
Biden returned from D-Day celebrations in France on Sunday, but will return to Europe on Wednesday – to Italy for the G7.