Hunter Biden found guilty in federal gun case | First Thing
Republicans double down on conspiracy theories after conviction of president's son. Plus: the new forms of toxic masculinity dominating social media
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Good morning.
Hunter Biden was found guilty Tuesday on three felony counts relating to buying a handgun while being a user of crack cocaine. He now faces up to 25 years in prison, though such a sentence would be highly unusual given that he is a first-time offender.
How has Joe Biden responded? The president has previously said he would not pardon his son if he was convicted. On Tuesday, he said: I will accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal." He went on to deliver a gun-safety speech just hours after the verdict.
Did Hunter Biden have his family's support during the trial? Even as Joe Biden's presidential campaign and the White House attempted to distance themselves from the case, Hunter's family and close friends attended the trial en masse to show their support. The first lady, Jill Biden, was seated in the Delaware courtroom behind her stepson for the first three days of the trial until leaving to attend a D-day commemoration ceremony in France.
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