Washington: The White House on Monday defended President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, amid growing bipartisan criticism. Biden’s pardon, signed on Sunday, comes as he faces accusations of prioritizing family over the rule of law, a principle he had previously championed.
President Biden, whose term concludes on January 20, when Republican President-elect Donald Trump assumes office, justified his move by citing what he described as Hunter’s unfair treatment and selective prosecution by political opponents. This decision contradicts Biden’s earlier statement to ABC News in June, where he unequivocally ruled out pardoning his son.
The backlash was swift, with Republicans condemning the pardon as partisan favoritism and some Democrats expressing concern over its implications for public trust in the justice system. Hunter Biden had been prosecuted for tax violations and gun charges after years of Republican-led investigations accusing him of leveraging his father’s name for business deals. No definitive evidence supporting these allegations was found.
White House Defends the Decision
White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre defended the pardon during a press briefing aboard Air Force One en route to Angola. She emphasized the president’s belief that Hunter would continue to face relentless scrutiny from political adversaries even after Biden left office.
“One of the reasons the president did the pardon is because they [his political opponents] didn’t seem like they would move on,” Jean-Pierre said. “They would continue to go after his son. That’s what he believed.”
Jean-Pierre also highlighted historical precedents of presidential pardons involving family members, citing examples like Bill Clinton’s pardon of his half-brother Roger Clinton and Donald Trump’s pardon of Charles Kushner, the father-in-law of his daughter Ivanka Trump.
While defending the Department of Justice (DOJ), Jean-Pierre noted that the president believed Hunter’s legal proceedings had been tainted by political motivations. “Two things can be true: the president does believe in the justice system and the Department of Justice, and he also believes that his son was singled out politically,” she explained.
Split Reactions
The pardon has divided Democratic lawmakers. Some have criticized Biden for placing family interests above national principles, while others have pointed to the judiciary appointments made under Trump as a possible explanation for Hunter’s legal challenges.
Hunter Biden, who pleaded guilty in September to federal tax charges, was due for sentencing on December 16. He was also found guilty of making false statements during a gun background check and faced sentencing for that charge as well. Late Sunday, Hunter Biden’s attorney filed a motion to dismiss the indictments against him.
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Biden himself defended his decision, asserting that Hunter was unfairly targeted. “No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong,” he said on Sunday.
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A Controversial Legacy
The controversy surrounding Hunter Biden’s pardon adds a dramatic chapter to Biden’s presidential legacy as he prepares to leave office. The move raises questions about the balance between personal loyalty and institutional integrity, a tension that will likely remain under scrutiny in the months ahead.
