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By Katherine Fung
Senior Writer
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The Secret Service said that Hunter Biden's protection will "remain unchanged" amid his conviction on three felony gun charges.
"Hunter Biden's Secret Service protection will remain unchanged despite this week's judicial outcome," Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the U.S. Secret Service, told Newsweek in a Thursday statement.
The president's son was convicted by a jury in Wilmington, Delaware, this week after being found guilty of lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making false claims on the application by saying he was not a drug user and illegally having the revolver for 11 days.
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The Secret Service, which protects national leaders, their families, and visiting heads of state, is only required to protect the children of a sitting president until they turn 16, but the agency has typically continued to do so even after they become adults.
Hunter Biden, whose codename is "Captain," was provided Secret Service detail during his trial and is expected to return to the courthouse with personnel at his sentencing hearing. A date has not yet been set for the hearing but sentencing typically takes 120 days after a conviction. Hunter Biden has received protection since his father assumed office.
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Secret Service was also present at the criminal trial of former President Donald Trump earlier this year. But while Trump is entitled to lifetime protection as the former commander-in-chief, Hunter Biden could lose his detail if his father loses November's election.
How Hunter Biden's protection could change if he's sentenced to prison remains unclear. The three counts that he was convicted on carry up to 25 years in prison, although first-time offenders rarely get the maximum sentence. Federal sentencing guidelines recommend far lighter punishments, and there is a chance Hunter Biden doesn't have to do any time behind bars.
"In all reality, and not because his last name is Biden — simply because anybody convicted of this kind of crime would probably get probation and a fine — that's probably what he'll get as well," legal analyst Sara Azari told NewsNation on Tuesday. "He's not being treated about the law or any differently."
It is also unclear if Trump will serve any jail time for his conviction. A jury found him guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, which carries a maximum fine of four years in prison per count. Trump's sentencing hearing has been set for July 11.
Although Secret Service is authorized to provide lifetime protection to former presidents and their spouses, those who are no longer in office can decline protection. Richard Nixon famously opted out in 1985 after his wife Pat did the same to cut government expenses. As a child of a sitting president, Hunter Biden could also decline protection, although he has given no inclination that he will.
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