White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Friday that President Joe Biden will not consider commuting or pardoning his son, Hunter Biden, if he is convicted of the crimes he is accused of committing.

Special counsel David Weiss filed charges against Hunter Biden this week stemming from a firearm-related incident from when Joe Biden was vice president in the Obama administration.

The indictment charges the president’s son with three crimes related to false statements made on a federal application to purchase a firearm. The charges relate to a time when, in October 2018, Hunter claimed he was clean of drugs to purchase a handgun. He later wrote in his memoir that he was addicted to crack cocaine at the time.

“Would the president pardon or commute his son if he’s convicted?” a reporter asked.

“So, I’ve answered this question before, it was asked of me not too long ago, a couple of weeks ago,” she said. “And I was very clear, and I said, ‘no.'”

WATCH:

KJP says Biden won't pardon his son. Maybe he won't have to. pic.twitter.com/4PCwK2YgBv

— NewsBusters (@newsbusters) September 15, 2023

Two of the counts carry max sentences of 10 years in prison, while the third carries a max sentence of five years, according to NBC News. The stiff sentences are a sharp contrast to the agreement worked out under the plea deal that was blown up in federal court by a judge. The plea agreement would have freed Hunter from jail time and instead put him in a diversion program that, if completed successfully, would have wiped the gun charges from his record.

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Hunter, “knowing that he was an unlawful user of and addicted to any stimulant, narcotic drug, and any other controlled substance … did knowingly possess a firearm, that is, a Colt Cobra 38SPL revolver,” the indictment says.

Weiss signaled earlier this month that he was looking at charges against Hunter related to lying on a federal firearm registration form and owning a gun illegally. Weiss wrote in a notice to Judge Maryellen Noreika in Delaware that he was considering charging the Biden heir with gun charges, though Weiss did not mention other charges related to Hunter’s overseas business dealings or taxes that are the subject of an ongoing corruption investigation by House Republicans. Hunter’s failed plea deal struck with Weiss included two misdemeanor tax charges as well.

A United Airlines flight was forced to turn around this week after plummeting 28,000 feet in a matter of minutes after taking off to Rome from New Jersey.

Data from FlightAware said the plane dropped from about 37,000 feet down to just 9,000 feet in the span of eight minutes just after 10 p.m. EST on Wednesday night, according to CNN. The airline said that the plane returned “to address a possible loss of cabin pressure.”

“United Airlines Flight 510 returned safely to Newark Liberty International Airport around 12:25 a.m. local time on Thursday, Sept. 14, after the crew reported a pressurization issue,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. “The Boeing 777 was headed to Rome–Fiumicino International Airport.”

The CNN report said that the flight with 270 passengers and 14 crew members landed safely.

The FAA Is investigating the rapid descent of a United Airlines jet that was traveling from Newark, New Jersey to Rome. Pilots on the flight reported a possible pressurization issue about 50 minutes into the flight and had to circle back to the airport for an emergency landing. pic.twitter.com/Y43oApBaSk

— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) September 14, 2023

In December, at least five people went to the hospital for injuries sustained during “severe turbulence” on a United Airlines flight from Brazil headed to Houston.

“The flight experienced severe turbulence that resulted in five passengers being transported to the hospital once it landed in Houston,” public information officer Augusto Bernal said.

According to United, the injured included two passengers and three crew members.

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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that the plane — a Boeing 767 — reported experiencing turbulence as it traveled over Cancun, Mexico.

The incident comes after a similar situation also occurred in December on a Hawaiian Airlines flight that resulted in 20 people going to the hospital. In total, 36 people on the Hawaiian Airlines flight were hurt. The plane touched down at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu on Sunday morning. Eleven people were admitted with serious conditions, while nine others were stable.

“Injuries included a serious head injury, lacerations, bruising and loss of consciousness,” Shayne Enright, a Honolulu Emergency Medical Services spokeswoman, said, per The New York Times.

“We are also very happy and we feel fortunate that there were not any deaths or other critical injuries,” Jim Ireland, director of Honolulu Emergency Medical Services, said.

“It’s the holidays, everybody’s trying to come here for vacation or come back home,” he added. “It’s generally a time when people are happy. And so this is obviously something that they didn’t plan for in their journey here.”

Jon Snook, the executive vice president and chief operating officer for Hawaiian Air, told reporters that the “fasten seatbelt” sign was illuminated when the incident took place.

“Sometimes, these air pockets occur with no warning. It’s rare to have that level of extreme turbulence. It was a very extreme case of mid-air turbulence,” Snook said. “We’re very thankful the extent of the injuries was not critical. It could have been worse.”

Charlotte Pence Bond contributed to this report.