Quick Takes

Kentuckians in Congress react to Hunter Biden conviction

By: - June 11, 2024 2:27 pm

President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden talks to reporters outside the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 13, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Some of Kentucky’s Republican congressional members quickly commented on the conviction of Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son, in a federal gun case, though their sentiments about the charges differed.?

The first son was convicted Tuesday on three felony charges related to the purchase of a revolver in 2018. Prosecutors argued that Hunter Biden lied on a gun-purchase form as he said he was not illegally using drugs.?

Kentucky Republican U.S. Rep. James Comer, who is the chairman of the House Oversight Committee that is leading an impeachment inquiry into the president, urged the United States Department of Justice to further investigate the Biden family.?

“Today’s verdict is a step toward accountability but until the Department of Justice investigates everyone involved in the Bidens’ corrupt influence peddling schemes that generated over $18 million in foreign payments to the Biden family, it will be clear department officials continue to cover for the Big Guy, Joe Biden,” Comer said.?

Another Kentucky Republican congressman, U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, had a different take.?

“Hunter might deserve to be in jail for something, but purchasing a gun is not it,” Massie said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “There are millions of marijuana users who own guns in this country, and none of them should be in jail for purchasing or possessing a firearm against current laws.”

U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, another Republican, said on X that it was “truly ironic” for the president to discuss gun control hours after Hunter Biden’s verdict.

“Americans deserve better!” Barr added.

Hunter Biden’s conviction comes less than two weeks after former President Donald Trump — President Biden’s Republican opponent in this year’s election —?was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, a felony in New York.?

At the time, several Kentucky Republicans decried Trump’s verdicts, including Comer, Massie and Barr. All Kentucky congressional members commented on that lawsuit.

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McKenna Horsley
McKenna Horsley

McKenna Horsley covers state politics for the Kentucky Lantern. She previously worked for newspapers in Huntington, West Virginia, and Frankfort, Kentucky. She is from northeastern Kentucky.

Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

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