Left: President Joe Biden talks with his son Hunter Biden as he arrives at Delaware Air National Guard Base in New Castle, Del., Tuesday, June 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta). Right: President-elect Donald Trump waits for the start of proceedings in his trial at Manhattan criminal court, Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, Pool)
President Joe Biden on Sunday formally pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, for a number of federal crimes, something the White House had repeatedly said the president would not do.
President-elect Donald Trump wasted no time to seize the opportunity, calling the pardon a “miscarriage of justice” and signaling that upon taking office, he would use the same executive power to free all of the individuals who were sentenced to federal prison for storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
In a social media post, Trump suggested that in addition to his son, President Biden also should have pardoned those imprisoned for trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
“Does the pardon given by Joe [Biden] to Hunter [Biden] include the J-6 Hostages, who have been imprisoned for years?” Trump posted to Truth Social. “Such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!”
Trump Truth Social post regarding Hunter Biden’s pardon on Dec. 1, 2024.
Hunter Biden was facing serious time behind bars after being convicted on multiple federal criminal charges earlier this year, including three felony firearm offenses in Delaware as well as another three felony tax crimes in California. He was scheduled to face sentencing in both cases later this month.
Following the pardon, President Biden issued a statement in which he griped about his son being unfairly treated by the Justice Department, sounding somewhat Trumpian in his reasoning.
From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted.
Without aggravating factors like use in a crime, multiple purchases, or buying a weapon as a straw purchaser, people are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form. Those who were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions, but paid them back subsequently with interest and penalties, are typically given noncriminal resolutions.
It is clear that Hunter was treated differently. The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election.
Then, a carefully negotiated plea deal, agreed to by the Department of Justice, unraveled in the courtroom — with a number of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure on the process. Had the plea deal held, it would have been a fair, reasonable resolution of Hunter’s cases.
Even after Joe Biden lost the presidential election last month, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated the administration’s stand that the president would not be interfering in his son’s criminal cases.
“We’ve been asked that question multiple times and our answer stands — which is no,” Jean-Pierre said just two days after Trump’s victory.
Even some of President Biden’s strongest supporters criticized his use of the executive power, particularly in light of Trump taking office next month.
“While as a father I certainly understand President @JoeBiden’s natural desire to help his son by pardoning him, I am disappointed that he put his family ahead of the country,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis wrote in a post to X, previously Twitter. “This is a bad precedent that could be abused by later presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation.”
Steven Cheung, Trump’s incoming White House communications chief, released a statement further advancing Trump’s claims that the Justice Department has been “weaponized” by Democrats, particularly against the president-elect.
“The failed witch hunts against President Trump have proven that the Democrat-controlled DOJ and other radical prosecutors are guilty of weaponizing the justice system,” Cheung said in a statement to Fox News. “That system of justice must be fixed and due process must be restored for all Americans, which is exactly what President Trump will do as he returns to the White House with an overwhelming mandate from the American people.”
Trump, who previously stated that he would “absolutely” pardon those imprisoned for storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, had been relatively quiet on the subject since winning reelection. More than 1,000 people have been convicted of crimes in connection with the riot which was aimed at stopping Congress from finalizing Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.
