President Biden: I Accept the Verdict in Hunter's Case

President Biden said last week that he would not consider pardoning son Hunter should he be convicted in his gun case. On Tuesday, after the guilty verdict came down, the president reaffirmed that. "I will accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal," he said in a statement, per USA Today. It continued:

• "As I said last week, 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. 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." He and the first lady will always be there for their son "with our love and support," the president said.

The AP notes that Hunter Biden left the courtroom holding hands with the first lady and his wife, Melissa. They did not speak to reporters before driving off. The BBC, meanwhile, digs into both the political and personal ramifications for the president.

• "This will, of course, be a personal distraction for the president, as it would be for any father," Michael LaRosa, press secretary for Jill Biden during the first two years of the Biden presidency, tells the outlet. "It's not a distraction from his duties as president, but I'm sure it will take an emotional toll on the family."