Hunter Biden was convicted on three felony weapon charges in a Delaware court after only three hours of jury deliberations. He is the first child of an American president to be convicted of a felony.
The second-born son of President Joseph Biden was found guilty of making a false statement in the purchase of a gun, making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federally licensed gun dealer, and possession of a gun by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.
Immediate reactions dismissed the verdict as a convenient distraction, a “red herring” to turn attention away from far more serious crimes that have been alleged against both Hunter and President Biden. Allegations of influence peddling and dealings with foreign governments have hounded the Biden family for years.
“The laptop is real. The corruption of the Biden family is real. Instead of bringing charges at the core of the Biden corruption, they chose to charge Hunter with something that didn't involve his foreign dealings, so they could insulate and protect the Big Guy,” said Bernie Moreno on X, a candidate for the United States Senate in Ohio.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) allowed the statute of limitations to expire on Hunter Biden’s most serious tax charges. The DOJ has also been unwilling to investigate evidence of the Bidens' foreign bribery allegations and attempted to give Hunter a sweetheart deal with broad immunity in a weapons case that was ultimately thrown out by the judge.
Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that the trial “was nothing more than a distraction from the real crimes of the Biden Crime Family.”
It is widely believed in Republican circles that the Department of Justice deliberately slow-walked these charges and investigations to shield the president from allegations of corruption and financial gain.
Leavitt also pointed to millions of dollars the Biden family received from China, Russia, and Ukraine.
“Crooked Joe Biden’s reign over the Biden Family Criminal Empire is all coming to an end on November 5th, and never again will a Biden sell government access for personal profit,” added Leavitt.
“Hunter Biden was convicted. Big freaking deal!” Vivek Ramaswamy, former Republican presidential primary candidate, said in a video released on X. “This trial was a sham just like the Trump trial, but a sham for a different reason. It's a sham designed to legitimize the Trump conviction.
“It also avoids accountability for the Biden Crime Family for the actual things Hunter Biden Should have been charged with like peddling foreign influence while his father was vice-president of the United States.
"This deflects accountability for the actual investigations that are coming close to implicating Joe Biden while coming at convenient timing right after the sham Trump conviction in the thin veil of bipartisanship,” says Ramaswamy.
President Biden issued a statement after the verdict saying, he will “accept the outcome of this case” and pledged support for his son. “As I said last week, I am the president, but I am also a dad,” the president said. “Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today."
The younger Biden did not address the verdict directly saying only, "I am more grateful today for the love and support I experienced this last week from Melissa, my family, my friends, and my community than I am disappointed by the outcome."
Hunter Biden faces a maximum penalty of 25 years and up to $750,000 in fines, although as a first offense, his sentence will almost certainly be much less. A sentencing date is expected to be set within 120 days.