US President Joe Biden has said he would not use his power to reduce any prison sentence handed down to his son, a day after the White House declined to comment on the possibility, the BBC reported on Jun 13.

Speaking at the G7 summit being held in Borgo Egnazia (Fasano) in Apulia, Italy on June 13-15, the US president said he would not commute Hunter Biden's sentence on a federal gun charge.

A Delaware jury on June 11 found Hunter Biden guilty of lying about his drug use when buying a revolver in 2018.

Before the verdict, Mr. Biden reportedly said he would not issue a pardon in the event of a guilty verdict.

The BBC notes that US presidents have the power to commute sentences for defendants convicted of federal offences. They can also choose to issue outright pardons, vacating convictions entirely.

Commuting a sentence would leave the conviction intact, but replace a sentence given in court with a lesser one.

Presidents reportedly do not have the power of commutation or pardon in state-level cases.