The unexpected announcement of a presidential pardon for Hunter Biden came from President Joe Biden, who has been receiving sharp criticism from President-elect Donald Trump. By this, most Americans were caught off guard since it comes contrary to Biden’s earlier stance of not intervening in Hunter’s legal affairs.
Trump took to Truth Social Sunday night to take a cheap shot at the decision, asking whether it would extend to those prosecuted for the January 6 Capitol riot. “Does the pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years?” Trump wrote, announcing the entire incident as an “abuse and miscarriage of justice.”
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In reversal from the position that pelted him with the nobody-but-a-cheap-attacker communication gap, President Trump got to have his new White House communications chief, Steven Cheung, slam the weaponized justice system under the control of the Democrats: “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.” He added that the Justice Democrats “for all and due process that the President shall confer on the White House turf would be high in the priorities once.
Biden defends his decision amid republican criticism.
Sunday, earlier today, President Biden reasserted why he pardoned Hunter, pronouncing that the son has been subjected to unfair treatment by prosecutors. In a statement, Biden charged Republicans with selective prosecution while underlining Hunter’s struggles with substance abuse as material context for his actions.
Hunter Biden had already been convicted of three felony firearm charges earlier this year, while the guilty plea he entered to multiple felony tax offenses was in September, just gone. According to Biden, such cases are rarely pursued in court under similar circumstances. “Without aggravating factors like use in a crime, multiple purchases, or buying a weapon as a straw purchaser, people are rarely brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form,” the president said.
Biden again pointed out Hunter’s recovery, which is five and a half years sober, while describing the intense effort to continue these attacks against his son. As for Biden, “In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me—and there’s no reason to believe it will be stopped here. Enough is enough.” That’s how he invites Americans to have an understanding of where he stands as a father and as a president.
This move has reignited partisan debates over the Justice Department’s handling of high-profile cases. Republicans have criticized the pardon as a double standard, while Democrats argue it reflects compassion and a commitment to second chances for those battling addiction.
Trump, for his part, previously speculated that Biden would pardon Hunter despite public denials. Speaking to Fox News earlier this year, he called the situation “sad” and predicted, “I’ll bet you the father probably pardons him.” Now, with the pardon granted, Trump and his team are vowing to overhaul what they see as a broken justice system if he takes office in 2025.
Pardons for Jan 6 insurrectionists
President Biden’s surprise pardon of his son Hunter has reignited fierce partisan debate, especially after Biden had previously vowed not to intervene in his son’s legal troubles. Donald Trump quickly criticized the move on Truth Social, questioning whether the same mercy would be extended to January 6 defendants, whom he called “J-6 hostages.”
Trump’s spokesperson, Steven Cheung, slammed the Justice Department as politically weaponized under Democrats. Biden defended the pardon, citing Hunter’s recovery from addiction and what he described as selective prosecution. The decision has sparked renewed GOP calls for justice reform and accusations of a double standard in law enforcement.
