Hunter Biden made headlines this week when a jury convicted him on four federal charges stemming from his illegal purchase of a handgun in 2019.

While President Joe Biden has promised not to pardon his son, one former congressman says "Americans would understand" if he did so. 

Former representative: Biden will have "more flexibility" after the election

According to The Hill, that claim was made on Tuesday by former Colorado Republican Rep. Ken Buck during an interview with CNN.

Buck, who announced his departure this spring, has been accused by some conservatives of attempting to hurt fellow Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert's reelection chances.

"President Biden wouldn’t do anything until after the appeals are finished, number one, and that’s going to happen after the election," The Hill quoted Buck as saying.

"So, he’s going to have much more flexibility after the election whether he wins or loses to make a decision like this," he continued.

Buck suggests duel pardons for Trump and Hunter Biden

Buck went on to suggest that a pardon for Hunter Biden would be politically palatable if the president also extended a pardon to former President Donald Trump for one of the federal offenses he has been accused of.

For his part, President Biden ruled out a pardon for his son when speaking with ABC News journalist David Muir in France ahead of a ceremony commemorating the D-Day landing.

In an @ABC News exclusive, @DavidMuir interviews Pres. Joe Biden in Normandy on the 80th D-Day anniversary. Biden discusses the fight for democracy, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, immigration, Donald Trump's guilty verdict, Hunter Biden's trial, and more. https://t.co/L4CdDk2nuI pic.twitter.com/RPlsXMsdba

— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) June 6, 2024

"As we sit here in Normandy, your son Hunter is on trial," ABC News journalist David Muir said at one point during their exchange.

President claims to have ruled out a pardon for son

"I know that you can not speak about an ongoing federal prosecution, but let me ask you, will you accept the jury's outcome no matter what it is?" Muir said.

"Yes," Biden replied and gave the same answer when Muir asked whether he had ruled out the option of giving his son a pardon.

Buck praised the president's remarks, saying, "I think he [Biden] made the right statement at the time, and that is I'm not going to show preferential treatment to a member of my own family."