President Offers Love And Pride For His Son’s Addiction Recovery After Hunter Biden’s Guilty Verdict

Washington — To avoid the appearance of interference, President Joe Biden stayed away from the courtroom where his son Hunter was on trial for felony gun charges, but his rapid remark in response to the jury’s guilty judgment Tuesday spoke to where his heart has always been.

“Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today,” said Biden in a letter. “So many families who have had loved ones battle addiction understand the feeling of pride seeing someone you love come out the other side and be so strong and resilient in recovery.”

Biden aides and allies have quietly expressed concern about the impact a guilty judgment might have on the 81-year-old president, whose personal loss is inextricably linked to his public life. They claim the president is less concerned about any personal political consequences than he is about his son, who is only a few years removed from the throes of severe drug addiction.

Biden | AP news Image

President Offers Love And Pride For His Son’s Addiction Recovery After Hunter Biden’s Guilty Verdict

Evidently, the president’s son’s legal problems were causing at least some confusion in the White House. After the verdict was announced, the White House canceled press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’s scheduled conference and stated that Biden would travel by helicopter to Wilmington, Delaware, for an impromptu overnight visit with his family. A bus carrying Biden staff and reporters drove from the White House with lights and sirens to meet the president in Wilmington.

The verdict came shortly before the president spoke at a conference in Washington held by the Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund about his administration’s efforts to reduce gun violence and toughen gun law enforcement. Biden called for stricter gun-purchase regulations in his speech but did not refer to his son’s conviction on gun charges hours earlier.

Biden was scheduled to return to his Delaware home on Tuesday afternoon, when he was expected to spend time with his family, including Hunter, before heading for Italy on Wednesday morning to attend the G7 conference. During the trial, Biden spent more time than normal in Wilmington as part of a family show of support for Hunter.

Jill Biden, the first lady, was in the courtroom nearly every day — and made a 24-hour trip back from France to be there for testimony on Friday — but she was not present when the decision was announced on Tuesday. She returned to the courthouse minutes after the foreperson three times intoned “guilty.” Several other family members were present during the trial.

The president did not attend court but was intently monitoring the proceedings, with frequent updates from the first lady. However, every day when Hunter entered the courthouse, he passed a portrait of his father hanging on the wall as he came through the doors.

Like his father, Hunter Biden addressed family relationships and the rehabilitation process in his statement.

Biden | AP news Image

President Offers Love And Pride For His Son’s Addiction Recovery After Hunter Biden’s Guilty Verdict

“I am more grateful today for the love and support I received last week from Melissa, my family, my friends, and my community than I am disappointed by the outcome,” Hunter Biden said in a statement, referring to his wife first. “Recovery is possible by the grace of God, and I am blessed to experience that gift one day at a time.”

The trial provided an extremely personal account of Hunter Biden’s drug usage and blunders. Jurors heard hours of testimony from Hunter Biden’s ex-wife, a former lover, and his brother’s widow, who described strip club trips, infidelity, regular crack usage, and failed efforts to help him get clean. Jurors saw photographs of the president’s son bare-chested and untidy in a dirty room, as well as half-naked with crack pipes. And they saw a video of his crack cocaine being weighed on a scale.

Prosecutors said that the evidence was required to show jurors that the 54-year-old was in the throes of addiction when he purchased the pistol and so lied on a gun-purchase form when he claimed he was not unlawfully using or addicted to drugs.

“The evidence was personal.” “It was ugly, and it was overwhelming,” prosecutor Leo Wise claimed. “It was also absolutely necessary.”

Throughout the discussions, Wise pushed jurors to weigh the evidence. Then he swept his hand across the room, directing their attention to the gallery and the Biden family members seated in the courtroom.

“All of this is not evidence,” he explained. “People sitting in the gallery are not evidence.”

Biden | AP News Image

President Offers Love And Pride For His Son’s Addiction Recovery After Hunter Biden’s Guilty Verdict

Meanwhile, Tuesday’s ruling does little to resolve the first son’s legal issues. He is expected to be punished before the November presidential election, and his lawyers have indicated that he may appeal the judgment. He will stand trial in California in September on federal tax fraud accusations.

Even Republican detractors expressed sympathy for the Biden family.

“Anybody who has a child, and I have children of my own, anyone who has children, this is devastating to them,” said Iowa Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks.

SOURCE – (AP)