A juror in Hunter Biden’s federal gun case said in an interview after the verdict Tuesday that the Delaware residents who decided his fate did not factor in politics or his prior drug-fueled lifestyle when they unanimously decided the president’s son was guilty.
The juror, identified only as Juror 10, told CNN shortly after the verdict was announced in federal court in Wilmington, Del., what went into the roughly three hours of deliberations among the 12 jurors.
“No politics came into play, and politics was not even spoken about,” the juror said. “The first family was not even spoken about. It was all about Hunter.”
He reiterated that jurors did not discuss President Biden or other members of his family while deliberating. He said that the president “never really came into play” for him.
“We didn’t use Jill,” he said, referring to first lady Jill Biden. “President Biden never really even came into play for me, because his name was only brought up once during the trial. And that’s when I — that’s when it kind of, kind of sunk in a little bit. ‘Oh wow, this is this is the sitting president’s son who is on trial.'”
The juror revealed that the deliberations largely focused on the evidence in the matter and not Hunter Biden’s “lifestyle,” which dominated testimony by women close to him, who described feeling afraid for him while he was using drugs.
The juror also said he had learned during the trial that Hallie Biden, the widow of Beau Biden who had a romantic relationship with Hunter at the time of the gun purchase, had been introduced to crack cocaine by her brother-in-law.
“I felt really sorry for that,” Juror 10 said.
One factor the juror deemed notable during the trial was the testimony of Hunter Biden’s daughter, Naomi. He said he and other jurors “felt bad” that she was asked to testify against her father, effectively calling it a mistake to call her to the stand on the part of Hunter’s defense team.
“I think that was probably a strategy that should not have been done. No daughter should ever have to testify against her dad,” the juror said.
Naomi Biden testified that she knew her father was “struggling with addiction” months before the unlawful gun transaction but that he “still seemed good” in October 2018, when the purchase was made. Prosecutors had showed a text from her at the time that read, “I’m really sorry dad I can’t take this.”
The juror also expressed that he did not believe Hunter Biden deserved jail time. He faces a maximum of 25 years in prison and $750,000 in fines, but first-time offenders are not likely to receive the maximum penalty.
“It was very sad … not that he was being convicted of these crimes, but that his life has turned out the way it did,” the juror said when asked about how Hunter Biden’s addiction struggles played out in jury deliberations.
The president’s son was found guilty on three federal gun charges alleging he lied about his use of illicit drugs when purchasing a gun in 2018, and then unlawfully possessing the firearm for 11 days. Hallie Biden was part of the case because she found the gun in the center console of a car and then drove to a local supermarket to dispose of it in a trash can.
President Biden said in a statement that he will accept the outcome of his son’s conviction and has reiterated that he will not seek to pardon his son.
“As I said last week, I am the President, but I am also a Dad. I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today,” President Biden said. “As I also said last week, I will accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal.”