Hunter Biden’s Delaware gun trial is bringing President Joe Biden’s steadfast defense of the Department of Justice into sharp relief as the 2024 general election approaches.
Joe Biden, upon taking office in 2021, pledged not to use the Justice Department against his political allies, a practice he has accused former President Donald Trump of employing in the past.
However, his son’s gun trial, the first of two federal trials Hunter Biden will face ahead of November, could challenge that promise and complicate Joe Biden’s campaign against Trump, recently found guilty on 34 counts in the New York hush money case. Hunter Biden is the first child of a sitting president to be charged as a criminal defendant.
Several seasoned Democratic strategists expressed to the Truth Voices that they do not anticipate Hunter Biden’s legal troubles to significantly impact the election in November, nor do they believe Joe Biden will use his executive powers to pardon his son if convicted.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre affirmed last year during a press briefing that Joe Biden would not pardon Hunter Biden, stating she had been “very clear” about it.
Joe Biden, along with his White House team and campaign staff, tend to avoid discussing Hunter Biden’s charges. Nonetheless, the president has openly talked about the pain of seeing his son judged in public opinion, consistently defended his innocence, and expressed pride in being Hunter Biden’s father.
“It impacts my presidency by making me feel proud of him,” Joe Biden commented in a 2023 interview with MSNBC when asked about his son’s legal troubles.
First lady Jill Biden, accompanied by Hunter Biden’s wife Melissa Cohen Biden and his sister Ashley Biden, attended Monday’s proceedings in Wilmington.
The president did not attend the courthouse with his family but issued an unusual statement shortly after jury selection began on Monday.
“I am the president, but I am also a Dad,” Joe Biden stated Monday morning. “Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today. Hunter’s resilience in the face of adversity and the strength he has brought to his recovery are inspiring to us. Many families have loved ones who have overcome addiction and understand what we mean.”
A few days earlier, the president criticized Trump for claiming that his guilty verdict in the New York hush money trial was “rigged.”
“Donald Trump was given every opportunity to defend himself,” Joe Biden remarked on Friday. “It’s reckless, it’s dangerous, and it’s irresponsible for anyone to say this trial was rigged just because they don’t like the verdict.”
Special counsel David Weiss reportedly intends to call a number of witnesses in the gun trial, including three former partners of Hunter Biden: his ex-wife Kathleen Buhle, Lunden Roberts, with whom he has a daughter, and Hallie Biden, the widow of his brother, Beau Biden.
Hallie Biden, who was romantically involved with Hunter after Beau’s death, is believed to be the person who disposed of the firearm central to Hunter Biden’s trial.
Moreover, the prosecution plans to introduce Hunter Biden’s abandoned laptop, a focal point of controversy during the 2020 election, as evidence. Joe Biden and his allies had claimed in 2020 that the laptop was misinformation planted by Trump’s team to sway the election results, claims independently debunked after Joe Biden took office.
A Democratic operative familiar with Joe Biden’s campaign team shared with the Truth Voices that though it will be challenging for the president to see his family’s issues publicly examined, it would not compromise his dedication to the rule of law.
“Of course this will be painful. This would be tough for any father, let alone one who has to field questions from reporters daily,” the source noted. “But this isn’t new. The media and Republicans have scrutinized the Biden family for nearly a decade, and President Biden is more resilient than given credit for. I expect him to support his son through the process but ultimately respect the verdict.”
Nonetheless, Hunter Biden’s own public remarks could complicate matters for the president. Similar to Trump, Hunter Biden has alleged his prosecution is politically motivated, noting that both Weiss and Judge Maryellen Noreika, presiding over the gun trial, were appointed by the former president to serve in Delaware.
Despite the negative implications, the president has maintained a close relationship with his son in recent weeks.
Hunter Biden participated in a state dinner for the visiting Kenyan president in May, observed the ninth anniversary of his brother Beau’s passing with the family last week, and joined his father for a bike ride over the weekend.
