US President Joe Biden has pledged to respect the jury’s decision to convict his son, Hunter Biden, of gun crimes after a week-long trial that revealed a tumultuous period for the family.

The 12-person jury found Hunter Biden, 54, guilty of lying about his drug use on a form while purchasing a handgun in 2018. This conviction marks the first criminal prosecution of a sitting president’s child, and Hunter Biden now faces possible jail time. The verdict comes as President Biden campaigns for re-election and shortly after his rival, Donald Trump, was convicted of a crime in New York.

Although President Biden did not attend the trial in Delaware, First Lady Jill Biden and other family members, including Hunter’s wife, sister, and uncle, were present to support him. After the verdict, President Biden flew to Wilmington, Delaware, where he embraced his son on the tarmac.

“I am the president, but I am also a dad. Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today,” President Biden said in a statement. He added that he would “accept the outcome of this case and… continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal.”

President Biden had previously ruled out pardoning his son. The trial exposed embarrassing details as prosecutors demonstrated that Hunter Biden was using crack cocaine when he purchased the gun. Testimonies from his ex-wife, Kathleen Buhle, and former girlfriend, Zoe Kestan, described frequent drug binges that strained his relationships. Text messages and photographs, some showing a half-naked Hunter Biden, were also presented in court.

The verdict on Tuesday spurred immediate political reactions, notably from Republicans in Congress who have long investigated Hunter Biden’s behavior and business dealings. James Comer, the Republican chair of the House Oversight Committee, called the verdict a “step toward accountability,” but insisted that “everyone involved” in what he termed the “Bidens’ corrupt influence peddling schemes” should be investigated.

The Trump campaign released a statement asserting that the trial was “nothing more than a distraction from the real crimes of the Biden Crime Family.” This phrase, often used by the former president on the campaign trail, refers to allegations of misconduct against President Biden and his son made by Republicans.

Democrats in Congress, on the other hand, accused their Republican counterparts of hypocrisy and praised the US justice system. Maryland Democrat Jamie Raskin highlighted the differing reactions between the parties in a hearing. He noted, “The Republicans are attacking our entire system of justice and the rule of law because they don’t like the way one case came out, whereas the son of the president of the United States is prosecuted and I don’t hear a single Democrat crying foul.”