What happened
Hunter Biden was convicted Tuesday on three felony counts stemming from his purchase of a handgun while addicted to crack cocaine. Jurors in Delaware found President Joe Biden's son guilty of lying about his drug use to buy the firearm and illegally possessing the gun for 11 days in October 2018.
Who said what
Hunter Biden said he's "disappointed" about the verdict but "more grateful today for the love and support" he received from his family during the trial.
"I am the president, but I am also a dad," President Biden said. "Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today." He reaffirmed he "will accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal." Biden flew to Delaware after the verdict, en route to a G7 summit in Italy.
The verdict left Republicans "scrambling to prevent Hunter Biden's conviction" from "undermining their argument that the judicial system is being weaponized against Donald Trump," Politico said. "Many Trump allies had been secretly rooting for an acquittal," The New York Times added.
What next?
Hunter Biden could face up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced in October, but the odds he gets prison time are "pretty low," former federal prosecutor Jeffrey Brown said to Politico. He faces another trial on separate tax charges in September.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
‘These attacks rely on a political repurposing’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
‘Notes on Being a Man’ by Scott Galloway and ‘Bread of Angels: A Memoir’ by Patti Smithfeature A self-help guide for lonely young men and a new memoir from the godmother of punk
-
Why is crypto crashing?Today's Big Question The sector has lost $1 trillion in value in a few weeks
-
Memo signals Trump review of 233k refugeesSpeed Read The memo also ordered all green card applications for the refugees to be halted
-
Pentagon targets Kelly over ‘illegal orders’ videoSpeed Read The Pentagon threatened to recall Kelly to active duty
-
Judge tosses Trump DOJ cases against Comey, JamesSpeed Read Both cases could potentially be brought again
-
US, Kyiv report progress on shifting Ukraine peace planSpeed Read The deal ‘must fully uphold Ukraine’s sovereignty,’ the countries said
-
Comey grand jury never saw final indictmentSpeed Read This ‘drove home just how slapdash’ the case is, said The New York Times
-
Summers out at Harvard, OpenAI amid Epstein furorSpeed Read Summers was part of a group being investigated by Harvard for Epstein ties
-
Trump ordered to fully fund SNAPSpeed Read The Justice Department is appealing the decision
-
Judge issues injunction on DHS use of forceSpeed Read Agents can only use force under the ‘immediate threat of physical harm’
