Before anyone piles on - they should keep in mind that most families in this country have dealt with a member who had substance abuse or addiction issues. Attacking him for that is an attack on most families. It sets an example. He broke the law and there are consequences. Dealing with them and putting them behind you is the way to handle it.
The Right has been salivating over this guy for years and the President just said (basically) Yeah, he screwed up, he has to deal with it. He's clean now and I'm proud of him, I love him and I'll be there when it's over. Gee, that sounds more Jesus-y than anything a Repugnantcan has said since Ronald Regan came along. Take their ****ing ammunition away.
Now it becomes this - If he isn't sentenced to the harshest possible sentence, they'll start screaming about things being rigged, even though in most cases, when someone broke the law as an addict, but has since turned their life around, they are usually given a sentence on the lighter side. If that happens here, the Repugnantcans will lose their minds.