President Joe Biden issued a statement after his son, Hunter Biden, was convicted in federal court in Delaware. “I am the President, but I am also a Dad. Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today,” Biden expressed minutes after the verdict.
Hunter Biden was found guilty on three counts related to his October 2018 purchase and possession of a revolver while using illegal drugs. Federal prosecutors accused him of lying on a background check form when he claimed he was not using or addicted to illegal drugs.
This case has become a personal and emotional distraction for President Biden. The key question now is whether Hunter Biden’s guilty verdicts will affect Biden’s 2024 election rematch with former President Donald Trump and influence persuadable voters.
Veteran New Hampshire-based political scientist and New England College president Wayne Lesperance told Fox News, “Today’s conviction of Hunter Biden on all counts is unlikely to have much impact on the presidential campaign. While they share the same last name, Hunter is not Joe, and voters will not hold the father accountable for the crimes of the son.”
Longtime Republican strategist Ryan Williams concurred, stating, “It’s a deep personal blow to the president, but I don’t think it will have that much of an impact on the election. People aren’t going to vote for or against Joe Biden based on his son’s actions.”
President Biden has stated he would not pardon his son if convicted and emphasized his respect for the judicial process. “I will accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal,” Biden said.
This contrasts sharply with Trump, who has labeled his own recent trial as “rigged” and a “sham.” Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to payments during the 2016 election to Stormy Daniels.
Trump has claimed that his trial was a “political Witch Hunt” orchestrated by Biden and the Justice Department. However, Williams noted that Hunter Biden’s convictions “undercut the argument that Trump makes that the Department of Justice is politically motivated against him and Republicans.”
Lesperance agreed, adding, “The verdict blunts GOP claims about a partisan judiciary targeting Republicans. It is difficult to imagine how Republicans can claim bias following the Trump verdict when today’s conviction involved the son of the sitting Democratic president.”
Hunter Biden’s sentencing is expected just days before the November presidential election, and he faces a second trial in California in September over unpaid taxes.
The Trump campaign argued that the trial is a distraction from alleged crimes of the “Biden Crime Family,” while seasoned Democratic operative Joe Caiazzo called the comparison “a false equivalent” since Hunter Biden is not on the ballot. “The Trump campaign is going to try to use this as a political football, which is disturbing, disgusting and dishonest,” Caiazzo stated.
