Hunter Biden to be sentenced on gun crime a week after Election Day
(WILMINGTON, Del.) — Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, will face sentencing for his three-count felony conviction on Nov. 13, just one week after the presidential election.
Biden was found guilty in June by a Delaware jury of violating the law when he obtained a firearm in 2018, at a time when he was addicted to drugs. For the three felony convictions, Hunter Biden could face up to 25 years in prison — though legal experts believe he will not serve time as a first-time and nonviolent offender.
Hunter Biden had sought a new trial in the case, saying his “convictions should be vacated” because trial commenced before a circuit court formally issued a mandate denying one of his many pretrial appeals. But last month, his attorneys withdrew their bid for a new trial, conceding in court papers that the motion misunderstood a technicality in the district court’s capacity to carry out a trial.
He had tried several times to get the federal charges tossed before the trial began, but to no avail.
President Joe Biden has repeatedly pledged to not pardon his son, including in an interview with “World News Tonight” anchor David Muir.
While the trial was still ongoing, Biden was asked if he would respect the outcome, to which he responded, “Yes,” and if he would rule out a pardon for Hunter Biden. Again, he responded, simply, “Yes.”
Hunter Biden faces a separate criminal trial in September on federal tax charges. He has pleaded not guilty.
(WASHINGTON) — Republican senators ABC News spoke with Thursday squirmed when asked about former President Donald Trump falsely questioning Vice President Kamala Harris’ racial identity during his interview at the National Association of Black Journalists convention a day earlier — as the former president doubled down on the false attack.
In a social media post Thursday morning, former President Donald Trump shared a family portrait of Vice President Kamala Harris and wrote, “Your warmth, friendship, and love of your Indian Heritage are very much appreciated.”
His social media post reiterated his false claim that Harris only emphasized her Asian-American heritage — something he mentioned during his interview at the NABJ convention on Wednesday.
During the interview, he falsely questioned Harris’ race. Harris is the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother.
“I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black and now, she wants to be known as Black. So, I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?” Trump said during the NABJ interview.
He went on to say that “she was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden she made a turn, and she went — she became a Black person.”
Trump allies in the Senate tried to focus less on the former president’s comments at NABJ — when he called Harris’ race into question — and instead pivoted to what they believe are his policy accomplishments in his first term.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a close ally of the former president’s, said Trump would be better served focusing on policy.
Asked if it was appropriate for Trump to question Harris’ race, Graham replied: “No, I don’t think so.”
“I’ve known the vice president for a while, she has always embraced her heritage proudly as she should,” Graham said. “My problem with Vice President Harris is the policy choices she’s made. I think she’s live a consequential life, but on policy the country is on fire — the world is on fire and the country is in decline. And I think we need new leadership so so that will be my approach.”
When pushed on whether Trump’s comments were productive in pushing voters toward focusing on policy, Graham dodged, saying “I think the way back into power is to compare [Trump’s] presidency with what’s going on today, offer solutions to problems — that’s the way back into power.”
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., pushed repeatedly on whether Trump’s comments were appropriate, conceded that they were likely a distraction.
“I think it shifts away from the discussion I want to focus on, but it may very well be that we have a difference of opinions about what is going to move the voters,” Tillis said. “I for one think its the failure on the economy the failure on the border and the failure on national security.”
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who is running to lead the Senate Republican Conference when McConnell steps down this fall, sidestepped questions repeatedly.
“I really don’t have anything to say about that. I did think it was relevant that he showed up and she did not and I appreciate the fact he is willing to even appear in front of hostile environments like that one,” Cornyn said.
Asked about Trump’s apparent confusion about Harris being biracial, Cornyn suggested that “I think we are all a combination of something right?”
House Republican leaders have privately told their conference to focus their attacks against Harris on her record, sources familiar with the conversation told ABC News.
The guidance came after a number of House Republicans made references to Harris’ race and gender when asked by reporters about her bid for the White House with some — such as Rep. Tim Burchett and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene — calling her a “DEI Vice President” or “DEI hire.”
Separately, sources also told ABC News, Speaker Mike Johnson also privately told members to focus on drawing a contrast with Harris’ record against the “strength” of Trump. Johnson has privately and publicly insisted this has nothing to do with race.
Sources told ABC News that one member said, “pointing out she’s not a white man, is not a winning campaign message.”
Several Democratic senators condemned Trump’s comments about Harris’ race.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said Trump’s comments were “disgusting.”
She said she admires the way Harris responded to the comments, which Harris on Wednesday night called “the same old show” with “divisiveness and disrespect.”
“I really admire what VP Harris said when she said she is ready to turn the page on that and start again with [a] new leader who is completely focused on how we make this government work better for hard-working families,” Warren said.
Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., called Trump’s comments a “distraction.”
“This is a distraction. And that’s what the former president majors in – the politics of distraction and division. But I don’t think it will stand. Because Kamala Harris is focused on the people that she wants to represent in this country,” Warnock said.
ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa, Soorin Kim, Kelsey Walsh, Rachel Scott and Jay O’Brien contributed to this report.
(SPRINGFIELD, Ohio) — Shortly before the ABC News presidential debate on Tuesday, the parents of a child who was killed in a bus crash caused by a Haitian immigrant in Springfield, Ohio, last year made an emotional plea for former President Donald Trump, vice presidential candidate JD Vance and others to stop using the death of their child “as a political tool.”
“They have spoken my son’s name and used his death for political gain,” said Nathan Clark, who spoke at a Springfield City Commission hearing. Flanked by his wife Danielle, Clark said “My son was not murdered. He was accidentally killed by an immigrant from Haiti.”
“I wish that my son, Aiden Clark, was killed by a 60-year-old white man. I bet you never thought anyone would ever say something so blunt. But if that guy killed my 11-year-old son, the incessant group of hate-spewing people would leave us alone,” he said tearfully.
Aiden Clark was killed last year when a minivan driven by Hemanio Joseph crashed into his school bus. Joseph, whose legal team says has Temporary Protected Status (TPS), was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and vehicular homicide and sentenced to nine to 13 years in prison in May. Joseph’s team has filed to appeal the conviction.
Some Haitian nationals present in the United States are eligible for TPS, which provides them with temporary permission to live and work in the country legally. The Department of Homeland Security designates certain countries for TPS when it deems it too dangerous for migrants to return due civil unrest, natural disasters, or other reasons.
Nathan Clark called for an apology from Vance, Trump, Bernie Moreno, the Republican Senate candidate in Ohio, and Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy, who he called “morally bankrupt,” for spinning Aiden’s death “towards hate.”
“This needs to stop now,” he said. “They can vomit all the hate they want about illegal immigrants, the border crisis, and even untrue claims about fluffy pets being ravaged and eaten by community members. However, they are not allowed, nor have they ever been allowed, to mention Aiden Clark from Springfield, Ohio.”
The claims about the Haitian community in Springfield spread quickly through conservative circles with accounts like that of the House Judiciary Committee Republicans using AI tools to show Trump holding cats and ducks, portraying him as a savior of animals.
One of the main images circulating online showing a man holding a dead goose was taken not in Springfield, but in Columbus, Ohio, two months ago. The resident who captured the image told ABC News he was surprised to see his image used to “ push false narratives.”
In a Tuesday post on X, Vance made debunked claims about Haitian migrants eating people’s pets in the town — a claim he later conceded could be false.
“In the last several weeks, my office has received many inquiries from actual residents of Springfield who’ve said their neighbors’ pets or local wildlife were abducted by Haitian migrants,” Vance wrote on X. “It’s possible, of course, that all of these rumors will turn out to be false.”
But then he went on to say, “Do you know what’s confirmed? That a child was murdered by a Haitian migrant who had no right to be here.”
Vance then criticized Harris for the Biden administration’s Temporary Protected Status extension for tens of thousands of Haitian migrants.
A spokesperson for Vance did not respond when ABC News asked for comment and more information about the incident he described in the post.
Asked for comment on the Clarks’ plea, Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, said, “We are deeply sorry to the Clark family for the loss of their son. We hope the media will continue to cover the stories of the very real suffering and tragedies experienced by the people of Springfield, Ohio due to the influx of illegal Haitian immigrants in their community.”
At Tuesday’s debate, Trump brought up the unsubstantiated claims circulating online regarding immigrants in Springfield.
Bryan Heck, Springfield’s city manager, also condemned the misinformation being spread on social media and in the political arena.
“Our Springfield community is making notable progress that contributes to its growing appeal to new residents, including immigrants,” Heck said in an online statement. “This development is underpinned by our city’s diverse and robust industrial base that encompasses the technology, automotive, food production and distribution sectors. The growth in our workforce population has supported the expansion of local businesses, contributed to the stabilization of the local economy. Our commitment to promoting a business-friendly environment has attracted new enterprises to our region and we’ll continue to focus on collaborating with industry leaders who seek to establish operations here.”
He also stated that challenges related to the growing immigrant population are from the pace of the growth and not the growth itself.
“These rumors will not distract us from addressing the real strain on our resources including the impact to our schools, healthcare system and first responders,” Heck said.
Migrants have been drawn to the region because of the low cost of living and work opportunities, the city says on its site. The city estimates there are around 12,000 to 15,000 immigrants living in the county, and the rapid rise in population has strained housing, health care, and school resources.
But the city also says that the migrants are in the country legally and that many are recipients of Temporary Protected Status.
The Haitian Bridge Alliance condemned “baseless and inflammatory” claims about Haitian migrants, arguing they “not only perpetuate harmful stereotypes but also contribute to the dangerous stigmatization of immigrant communities, particularly Black immigrants from the Republic of Haiti.”
The group has also called for an apology.
At Tuesday’s debate, Trump ranted about migrants from Haiti stealing and eating people’s pets.
“They’re eating the dogs. The people that came in. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating — they’re eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what’s happening in our country. And it’s a shame.”
Bryan Heck, Springfield’s city manager, also condemned the misinformation being spread on social media and in the political arena.
“Our Springfield community is making notable progress that contributes to its growing appeal to new residents, including immigrants,” Heck said in an online statement. “This development is underpinned by our city’s diverse and robust industrial base that encompasses the technology, automotive, food production and distribution sectors. The growth in our workforce population has supported the expansion of local businesses, contributed to the stabilization of the local economy. Our commitment to promoting a business-friendly environment has attracted new enterprises to our region and we’ll continue to focus on collaborating with industry leaders who seek to establish operations here.”
He also stated that challenges related to the growing immigrant population are from the pace of the growth and not the growth itself.
“These rumors will not distract us from addressing the real strain on our resources including the impact to our schools, healthcare system and first responders,” Heck said.
Migrants have been drawn to the region because of the low cost of living and work opportunities, the city says on its site. The city estimates there are around 12,000 to 15,000 immigrants living in the county, and the rapid rise in population has strained housing, health care, and school resources.
But the city also says that the migrants are in the country legally and that many are recipients of TPS.
The Haitian Bridge Alliance condemned “baseless and inflammatory” claims about Haitian migrants, arguing they “not only perpetuate harmful stereotypes but also contribute to the dangerous stigmatization of immigrant communities, particularly Black immigrants from the Republic of Haiti.”
The group has also called for an apology.
ABC News’ Julia Reinstein and Hannah Demissie contributed to this report.
(MILWAUKEE) — Vice President Kamala Harris is holding a rally Tuesday night in Milwaukee — in the middle of the Democratic National Convention — at the same arena where former President Donald Trump accepted the Republican nomination just a month ago.
A Harris campaign official said they aren’t just doing a “victory lap” because of the momentum around the vice president — instead they’re choosing to hold a rally during the DNC because they still believe they are the “underdogs” and need to work hard to win over voters in battleground states such as Wisconsin, according to the official.
These critical voters won’t be in Chicago, and Harris needs to “meet them where they are,” the official said.
Milwaukee is “a place where we need to increase turnout and it’s a good high-momentum, high-energy moment to dig in and talk to folks,” the official added. “We want to make this bigger than Chicago.”
Harris’ Tuesday rally will take place in the Fiserv Forum — the location of the Republican National Convention’s prime-time events and where Trump recently accepted his party’s nomination to a packed house.
“If she can fill up that arena that can hold some 18,000 people — that could get under Trump’s skin,” the campaign official said — a reference to Trump’s focus on crowd size.
In recent weeks, Trump has continued to make baseless claims that the Harris campaign pays for her crowd as his Democratic rival gains momentum with large-scale rallies.
Earlier this month, Trump falsely accused Harris’ campaign of using artificial intelligence to fabricate crowds at a campaign rally in Michigan. A Harris campaign official told ABC News that the photo Trump called into question was taken by a Harris campaign staffer and that it was “not modified by AI in any way.”
Harris’ visit to Wisconsin comes after she spoke at the DNC briefly on Monday night. She is set to speak again at the convention on Thursday night where she will accept the party’s nomination. Her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff is set to speak at the convention Tuesday night ahead of keynote speakers former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama.
Democratic voters in the area said Harris needs to frequently visit Wisconsin to win the crucial battleground state. In 2020, President Joe Biden beat Trump by a narrow margin; in 2016, Trump won the state by an extremely narrow margin of about 22,700 votes over Hillary Clinton — less than 1%.
Democratic voters noted that Harris is already doing more than Clinton in 2016, when the former secretary of state did not visit Wisconsin during the general election.
“The last time I felt this much excitement was when Obama ran,” said Wisconsin resident Shannon Mattner, who is planning to attend Harris’ rally. “We just feel like there’s more hope now.”
Daniel Barfouth, a union member from Wisconsin set to attend the rally, says he supports Harris because of her position on unions.
“I like what she has to say about unions. I like how the unions endorsed her,” Barfouth said.
Barfourth drew a sharp contrast between Harris and Trump: “He talks about chaos. He doesn’t talk about hope, connection or anything about love. He talks about tearing everything down.”
Asked what Harris needs to do to win Wisconsin, Barfourth said that Harris needs to continue “putting herself out there as a normal person like everyone else: ‘I’m one of you’. Trump isn’t one of us. He was born with a silver spoon with his mouth. He hasn’t had to suffer for anything.”