Richard Arnold: US Correspondent on the verdict of Hunter Biden's trial

Another legal first in the United States as Hunter Biden's found guilty of three criminal gun offences.

It's the first time the child of a sitting President's been found guilty of a crime, and comes only weeks after Donald Trump made history as the first former President with a criminal conviction.

The younger Biden could face up to 25 years in prison.

US correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that Joe Biden issued a statement immediately after the verdict. 

He says Biden stands by his son and accepts the outcome, writing he's proud of the man his son is, and he respects the judicial process. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Protests were already at Joe's place.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
You make it such a difference. The main reason I'm
here to say, I mean it's in the bottom my heart.
That's a no no no no no no no no
no no no, no, no no no. Folks, folks, it's okay,

(00:33):
what take care? Innocent children happened lost?

Speaker 1 (00:38):
Yes, that's a Richard Morning mording.

Speaker 3 (00:41):
Mike, is all this right? It's talking about lence at
this point. As you heard, this was a protester who
was trying to point up the apply to Palestinians at
the minute. But this comes right on the heels, of course,
of another day and another legal first, with Hunter Biden,
President's son becoming the first son or daughter of a
City American president to be found guilty of felonies, three

(01:02):
counts of unlawfully purchasing a gun, while claiming on the
government form that he was no longer a drug addict.
All this just days before after former President Trump was
convicted of his thirty four vilinies. This of course, a
case where there is no sentencing data as yet for
Hunter Biden, but it's expected to occur sometime in October,

(01:24):
so just before the US elections. In what sounds like
a carefully written statement. Hunter. Biden has responded to the
guilty verdict by saying he is quote more grateful for
the love and support he's getting than he is quote
disappointed by the outcome. Take that as you will. First,
Lady Jill Biden was in court for her son's trial
on each day but one when she was off in
Europe with the President, who, as we say now, is

(01:46):
getting mostly enthusiastic support from the crowd at this gun
violence conference, but maybe has some other thoughts on mind.
Here's another extract from it.

Speaker 2 (02:03):
I give you my word, I know what that feels,
that black hole when you received that phone call. It
seems like your black hole in your chest to being
sucked into it.

Speaker 3 (02:11):
Yeah, so talking about guns safety, but perhaps the other
issue will on his mind, President Bush. President Biden issued
a statement immediately after the verdict saying he stands by
his son and accepts the outcome of the case. He
says he's proud of the man his son is today
and will continue to respect the judicial process. He is,
of course, just back from France, where he was also

(02:33):
asked about the prospect of a presidential pardon in this
particular instance. And he replied, I don't know that we
live in a Christian that this was something that he
would not consider. There would be no pardon, he said,
So that ruled out when it comes to Donald Trump.
He spent his latest rally in Las Vegas slamming the
judge in his trial, the very judge who will decide
on July the eleventh on his sentencing. A devil, he

(02:55):
called him who oversaw a rig case. And there is
a certified Trump hater will contrast the comments sections here.
Hunter Biden could face up to twenty five years in prison.
That outcome quite unlikely. It's ten years for each individual
count for the three of them for a first offense
where no underlying crime has committed many things jail time unlikely.

(03:15):
He still faces other legal challenges on going, including tax
issues and so on. Some Republicans still are railing over
Hunter Biden, saying it's a sweetheart deal he's getting does
nothing to get to what they call without any evidence,
the Biden crime family, so ongoes the politics. As to
the Jura, several are speaking out. One jury member during
number ten says the Duras initially was split six to six,

(03:38):
then after a night's sleep this particular, Dura says, they
all came together on the guilty findings. As to the
connection with the president that particular, Jura says.

Speaker 4 (03:48):
No politics came into play, and politics was not even
spoken about. The first family was not even spoken about.
It all it was all about.

Speaker 3 (03:59):
Hunter certainly was humiliating, with Hunter Biden's four year crack
addiction laid bare, along with its devastating effects on his family.
In his own memoir and the audiobook version of it,
Hunter Biden spoke in excruciating terms about his drug use.

Speaker 2 (04:12):
I used my superpower finding crack anytime, anywhere.

Speaker 3 (04:17):
Yeah, this trial has laid out the challenges of a
first family more than anything else we have seen. And
none of this has done yet might come still crunch
yet again as we move closer to the elections this year.

Speaker 1 (04:28):
And talk to me about the Supreme Court and these
recordings and are we going to scandal here or on?

Speaker 3 (04:33):
It's odd going. You know, the US court system is
under scording scrutiny of late. We've had the money that's
been funneled to Justice Clarence Thomas on the Supreme Court,
the Alito flag waiving issues and now and undercover recording
It has been made by a left wing activist of
one of the battle members of the Supreme Court, a
woman named Laura Windsor went along to an historical society

(04:56):
event and took a secret tape recorder with her. This
subprititious recording being condemned by men, but wins a remaining
unrepentant about what she has done.

Speaker 2 (05:03):
To people who want a pearl clutch about this, Yeah,
please tell me how we're going to get answers when
this is.

Speaker 3 (05:10):
Yeah, pearl clutching anyway? She recorded. Justice Sam Alito and
his wife, The Alitos are the ones who flew the
upside down flag at their place, echoing what the Capitol
Hill rioters had done. Now Alito is heard on tapes
saying there is a battle with the political left making
it difficult to work together.

Speaker 4 (05:26):
One side or the other is it's away.

Speaker 3 (05:28):
One side of the other is going to win. He's saying,
a way of.

Speaker 4 (05:34):
Working, a way of living together peaceabul it's different.

Speaker 3 (05:39):
Yeah, how can you work together with such individuals? This
is a Supreme Court justice talking about fighting the political battle.
His wife, the one whom he blames for flying the
flag upside down, says she wants a Christian nation, not
one where gay pride flags are flown across the way.

Speaker 2 (05:55):
But what I want, I want a sacred part of
the Jesus flag, because I have to look across the
lagoon at the parade flag for the next month.

Speaker 3 (06:03):
She says also that the heritage is German. Quote. You
come after me, I'm going to give it back to you.
There will be a way. It doesn't have to be now,
but there will be away. End quote. So says Martha
and Alito, all.

Speaker 1 (06:13):
Right, make ketch them in a couple of days. Appreciate
it very much. And that goes also Kotini Brown Jackson,
who's one of the Supreme Court, justs she's got Beyonce tickets,
Clarence Thomas, the aforementioned, a lot of reimbursements for travel
and friends and high places. Who are giving it, it seems
the most extraordinary things. They're housing allowances, they're housing allowances.
There's a couple of people who have written books and
they're getting royalties from that. I've got no problem with that.

(06:35):
If you write a book and you gain royalties, I'm
not against that. But this free stuff for the Supreme Court, JAP,
I would have thought there'd be a blanket rule, nothing
full stop, zero nada, but clearly I'm not for more.
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