Karine Jean-Pierre Punts On Question About Whether Biden Will Commute Hunter’s Sentence After Previously Saying it Wouldn’t Happen

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused to weigh in on the possibility that President Joe Biden might commute his son Hunter Biden’s sentence after the first son was found guilty of committing three federal firearm offenses on Tuesday.

During a press gaggle on Air Force One, Jean-Pierre was asked whether a commutation would “be something that would be on the table?”

“So, look, as I stated at the top, I don’t have anything to say beyond to your first question, beyond what the president’s statement was yesterday,” replied Jean-Pierre. “He’s been very clear. We’ve been very clear, you know, he loves his son. And he and the First Lady love their son and they support their son. I just don’t have anything, certainly anything beyond that. What I will say is look, I haven’t spoken to the president about this since the verdict came out and as we all know the sentencing hasn’t even been scheduled yet. But you saw the president do an interview just last week when he was in Normandy and he was asked a question, several questions, a couple questions about this and he very clear, very up front, obviously very definitive and I just don’t have anything he, you have his own words. I just don’t have anything beyond that.”

Last week ABC News’s David Muir asked Biden directly, “Have you ruled out a pardon for your son?” Biden replied “yes” and later noted in a separate interview he “will accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal.”

Another reporter followed-up by asking, “So you’re not ruling out that he would commute the sentence?”

“What I’m saying is that the president, I have not spoken to the president about this and what I’m saying is he was asked about a pardon, he was asked about, he was asked about the trial specifically and he answered it very clearly, very forthright,” answered Jean-Pierre. “As we know the sentencing hasn’t even been scheduled yet, I don’t have anything beyond what the president said. He’s been very clear about this.”

In September of last year, Jean-Pierre was adamant that Biden would not not pardon or commute his son’s sentence, were he to be found guilty, insisting that she had been “very clear” about that.

In the interview alluded to by the press secretary, the president said he had ruled out pardoning Hunter, but was not asked about a commutation.