 "President Joe Biden accompanied by his son Hunter Biden and his grandson Beau leave a book store as they walk in downtown Nantucket Mass., on Friday. AP")
The White House on Monday defended President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter Biden, asserting that the president’s public reversal on the issue did not damage his credibility or compromise the independence of the Justice Department.
Addressing the reporters traveling with the president on Air Force One for his trip to Angola, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “He wrestled with it. It was not an easy decision to make.”
For months, Biden had publicly said he would not intervene in his son’s legal matters, despite Hunter facing potential jail time for tax fraud and gun charges.
However, in a recent statement, President Biden granted Hunter a pardon, sparking questions about his change of heart.
In his statement pardoning Hunter, Biden criticised the “selective prosecution” of his son.
Hunter Biden pleaded guilty in September to federal tax charges in federal court in Los Angeles and was due to be sentenced on December 16 under Mark C. Scarsi, a judge nominated by Republican President-elect Donald Trump.
A jury found him guilty in June of making false statements on a gun background check; he was due to be sentenced for those charges this month as well.
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More ShortsJean-Pierre said President Biden would not have pardoned his son had Kamala Harris won the 2024 election — before immediately walking back her statement, CNN reported_._
Asked whether the president would have made that decision had Harris won the election, Jean-Pierre was quoted as saying, “I’m not gonna, I’m not gonna get into, into the election. It is a no – I can answer that, it’s a no, and what I can say—.”
A reporter cut the press secretary off: “It’s a no? This would not have happened if Harris hadn’t lost the election? A pardon would not have happened if Harris hadn’t lost the election?”
Jean-Pierre responded, “I can speak to where we are today, and so I can’t speak to hypotheticals here. Where we are today, the president made this decision over the weekend. He thought about it, he wrestled with it.”
She reiterated Biden made the decision because he believed his son was being targeted for political reasons.
When asked if the president still has confidence in the justice department, Jean-Pierre said, “The president does believe in the justice system and the Department of Justice. And he also believes that his son was singled out politically.”
Jean-Pierre further suggested that Biden’s decision was influenced by mounting political pressure.
She pointed to the rhetoric from Biden’s political opponents over the past five years, particularly the incoming Donald Trump administration, which could pursue further legal action against Hunter Biden once in office.
“We have seen in the last five years or so, the president’s political opponents say this… this is not the President saying it. They said it themselves. They were going after Hunter Biden and so he made this decision,” she said.
Looking ahead, the spokesperson indicated that Biden would continue to evaluate similar cases, signaling more potential pardons and clemency decisions.
“He’s thinking through that process very thoroughly,” she said, adding that more announcements could come at the end of the president’s term.
With inputs from agencies