Hunter Biden laughs & smiles as he’s asked if dad Joe will pardon gun charges after having lunch with friend Sean Penn
HUNTER Biden grinned when asked if his dad would pardon him as he left lunch with Hollywood star Sean Penn.
President Joe Biden’s son and the Oscar-winning actor were flanked by Secret Service agents as they left a Thai restaurant in Malibu on Tuesday.
It comes after Joe recently made the bombshell announcement that he would not be running for a second term in office.
Hunter, 54, was convicted over three firearms felonies in Delaware in June and is awaiting sentencing.
He faces up to 25 years in prison although as a first-time offender is unlikely to get the maximum sentence.
Experts have said he is more likely to be sentenced to between 15 and 21 months in prison for the offenses, which took place while he was in the throes of hard drug addiction.
Hunter is also due to go on trial in California in September over allegations that he failed to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes.
He could face up to 17 years in prison if found guilty in that case.
When asked how he was holding up amidst all the chaos, Hunter replied, “Great man.”
He just smiled when he was asked if he was expecting a pardon as he left Colada Thai Cuisine.
As the sitting president his father, 81, has the power to pardon anyone convicted in a federal court.
In June, President Biden told the media at the G7 summit in Italy that he was satisfied his son had received a fair trial and vowed not to pardon him.
“I am not going to do anything,” President Biden said.
“I will abide by the jury’s decision.”
Penn, 63, revealed in an interview with the New York Times in June that he first met Hunter in 2022.
Then in the fall of last year, his Congressman friend Eric Swalwell of California suggested he connect with Hunter in Penn’s hometown of Malibu.
“I had no idea he lived down here,” Penn said.
“I thought he was off in some judicial-focused place that we see on TV.”
He referred to Hunter as a “very, very insightful guy” and revealed that the president’s son had gifted him one of his paintings.
The sale of Hunter’s art caused controversy after it emerged that 10 buyers had bought artworks for $1.5 million.
The White House claimed in July 2021 that a system had been established to make sure the identities of those who bought Hunter’s art remained anonymous for ethical reasons.
But his art dealer later told lawmakers on Capitol Hill in a closed-door interview that Hunter knew the identities of approximately 70% of the buyers.
“The Biden White House appears to have deceived the American people about facilitating an ethics agreement governing the sale of Hunter Biden’s art,” Oversight Committee Chair James Comer said in January.
What are the charges against Hunter Biden?
In September 2023, Hunter Biden was indicted on three felony gun charges after a plea agreement with federal prosecutors unraveled. Prosecutors claim that on October 12, 2018, Hunter purchased a .38 Colt Cobra revolver from a Delaware gun store and lied on the ATF firearm form when he said he was not abusing drugs.
- Count 1: Hunter is charged with ‘knowingly making a false and fictitious written statement’ on a form used for firearms purchases.
- Count 2: Hunter allegedly knowingly made false statements and representations to the Wilmington gun store.
- When a person buys a gun, they must fill out a form with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and confirm that they are legally allowed to buy the weapon.
- The purchaser must affirm that they have not been convicted of a felony, are not a fugitive, are in the United States legally, and are not addicted or using illegal drugs.
- Count 3: Hunter is accused of illegally possessing a gun while abusing drugs. He owned the gun for 11 days in 2018.
- Counts one and two carry a maximum prison sentence of 10 years, while the third count has a maximum of five years.
Hunter Biden faces up to 25 years in prison. However, first-time offenders hardly ever receive the maximum penalty. It’s unclear if Judge Maryellen Noreika will impose a jail sentence.