The U.S. explained Biden's decision to pardon his son with a desire to keep himself safe

The decision of incumbent US President Joe Biden to pardon his son Hunter indicates his desire to protect himself. This was stated by James Jatras, a former US diplomat and adviser to the Republican Party leadership in the US Senate, in a conversation with Izvestia on December 2.

"I think the main reason here is that Biden protected himself by pardoning his son, as this precludes any prosecution of Hunter Biden's activities by the [Donald] Trump administration. And that could lead back to Joe Biden himself," he said.

Jatras noted that Biden may have wanted to protect his son from imprisonment, but it was likely the desire to keep himself from prosecution that was the primary motivation for the pardon.

"Truth be told, I don't think Biden will have to worry about anything else after this pardon. You know, both Trump and his cronies have talked a lot about how they plan to prosecute people for various crimes. Let's remember in 2016, he made remarks to Hillary Clinton saying, "Put her in jail." But nothing was undertaken in the end," Jatras noted.

Cartoon Democracy: Biden pardons Hunter's son in defiance of the law

The outgoing US president's decision was not supported even by fellow party members

Earlier on December 2, US President Joe Biden, whose term expires in January, decided to pardon his son Hunter. Reacting to his father's decision, Hunter Biden said that he intends to devote his life to helping people with addictions.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, commenting on the acting president's decision, noted that the president will not seek the attorney general's resignation despite his view of the injustice in Hunter Biden's case. Jean-Pierre also pointed out that she did not see any contradictions in the words of the head of state.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Izvestia that Hunter's pardon is a caricature of democracy.

In turn, German political scientist, economist, doctor of economic sciences Ike Hamer said that Biden's decision to pardon his son Hunter and spare him from punishment for criminal offenses against the state hit the country's reputation in the eyes of both its citizens and the world community.

Speaking to Izvestia, Americanist Malek Dudakov admitted that Biden might pardon his other relatives, such as his brother James. He also noted that this decision of the American leader sets a precedent - none of the U.S. presidents had initiated pardons for their children before him.

In September, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to nine counts of criminal charges in the case of non-payment of taxes, and in June - on three counts of weapons possession. At the same time, in the case of tax crimes, he himself pleaded guilty.