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.
Jean-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—.”
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