World
December 2, 2024 08:00
washington - US President Joe Biden has sparked surprise and criticism with the pardon he granted his son Hunter. This decision has raised questions and drawn both support and backlash from various political figures.
Joe Biden surprised the nation with a press statement on Sunday evening, announcing the pardon for his son Hunter. The Democrat argues that he has upheld his commitment to not interfere with the decision of the US justice system to prosecute his son, although he believed Hunter was treated unfairly by political opponents.
According to the president, Hunter was merely a target of his political adversaries who sought to attack him and jeopardize his election. Biden expressed his struggle with the pardon decision but is convinced that the harsh political reality has turned his son into a 'victim of a judicial error.' Therefore, he is now using the presidential power. 'By trying to break Hunter, they tried to break me,' Biden stated. 'Enough is enough.'
James Comer, the Republican congressman who led the parliamentary investigation against the Biden family for alleged corruption practices, was scathing in his response. He referred to the charges Hunter faced as 'the tip of the iceberg.' Comer accused Biden of 'lying from the start about his family's corrupt influencing activities.'
Aside from Hunter, the president's brother was also involved in various shady dealings in countries such as Russia, Ukraine, and China, where there were at least hints of leveraging influence in the White House. The investigation in the House of Representatives, however, did not yield concrete evidence that the Biden family had exploited the former vice presidency for business gains. The weapons and tax cases were seen as incidental.
President-elect Donald Trump did not comment on the pardon, which he cannot reverse, but questioned on social media whether the convicted protesters of the Capitol riot in January 2021 would also be pardoned. It is speculated that Trump may consider pardoning them after taking office on January 20.
Last summer, Hunter was found guilty of illegal possession of a firearm after lying on an application form about his drug use. In September, he also pleaded guilty to all charges related to unpaid taxes. Sentencing for both cases was scheduled for this month.
Remarkably, President Biden also lamented the breakdown of the 'careful' settlement that the Justice Department had sought to reach with Hunter for the offenses. Biden suggested that the deal fell through due to pressure from political opponents. In reality, it was the judge who halted the settlement. The deal's broad terms meant that Hunter would be shielded from complete prosecution, a condition the judge refused to endorse.
The newly granted pardon reinstates the comprehensive wording. Biden grants 'full and unconditional' pardon for offenses committed between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024, clarifying that this pardon 'is not limited' to current charges. This means that Hunter is immune from potential future prosecution, such as his involvement with the Ukrainian energy company Burisma. Republicans have viewed Hunter's board position at the company since 2014 as central to an alleged, but so far unproven, corruption case involving the Biden family. This revolved around allegations that Hunter was brought into Burisma to pressure, through his father, the former vice president, to halt a Ukrainian corruption investigation into the energy company's boss.
Last August, prosecutors revealed that Hunter also attempted to leverage his influence on behalf of a Romanian businessman to initiate a similar action. Hunter was hired to pressure Romania through US authorities to halt a corruption investigation involving the Romanian. It was also disclosed that Hunter tried to involve the US embassy in Italy in his Burisma dealings. The pardon now covers these incidents.