Cartoon Democracy: Biden pardons Hunter's son in defiance of the law
Still acting U.S. President Joe Biden said on Sunday, December 1, that he had decided to pardon his son Hunter Biden, despite a number of promises not to do so. The son of the head of state was facing up to 25 years in prison, the court was to make a decision on December 16. The decision of the American leader has caused criticism in society. Details - in the material "Izvestia".
Hunter Biden's pardon
Outgoing US President Joe Biden said on Sunday, December 1, that he made the decision to pardon his son Hunter Biden in honor of Thanksgiving and expressed confidence that Americans will understand this decision "President and father".
"Today I signed an executive order pardoning my son Hunter," Joe Biden said in a statement released by the White House.
In response, Hunter Biden said he intends to dedicate his life to helping people with addictions.
Biden Sr. noted that from the moment he took office as president, he promised not to interfere in the decisions of the ministry.
President Joe Biden pardons his son Hunter. December 1, 2024.
"And I have kept my word, even as I watched my son selectively and unfairly prosecuted. No reasonable person examining the facts of Hunter's case can come to any other conclusion than that Hunter was singled out only because he is my son, and that is wrong," the White House chief shared. He believes that "crass politics" affected the process against Hunter and led to a "miscarriage of justice."
Earlier in the year, Joe Biden repeatedly said that he would not pardon his son in any of his cases and "will continue to respect the judicial process." White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also said the same thing at least five times.
Sentencing has been set for Dec. 16.
The criminal case against Hunter Biden
Hunter Biden's name has been associated with many scandals in recent years, ranging from his business in China and Ukraine in the years after Maidan, pornographic videos with underage girls on his laptop and criminal cases. Thus, on September 26, 2023, it became known that Hunter Biden received $260 thousand from an investor from China to his father's address. Then the head of the Oversight Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives James Comer said that Biden Sr. knew about such financial transactions. And in the laptop found Hunter's correspondence with the Ukrainian gas company Burisma, which confirmed that Joe Biden used his influence in Ukraine for the financial benefit of his son. Shortly after the leak, the correspondence was classified.
In September 2024, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to all nine counts of tax crimes. Earlier in June, he had refused to plead guilty to three counts, including gun charges in Wilmington and drug charges.
The maximum penalty in this case is 25 years in prison and a $750,000 fine. However, since the president's son has not previously been convicted of such law violations, the sentence should be much lighter.
The Republican Party and Donald Trump have repeatedly accused the Biden family and, in particular, Hunter of corruption, using influence for gain and called for the impeachment of the American leader amid scandals.
Reaction to Hunter Biden's pardon
US President Joe Biden's pardon of Hunter's son in two court cases is a caricature of democracy, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Izvestia.
US President-elect Donald Trump called President Joe Biden's decision to pardon his own son Hunter an "abuse" and a violation of justice.
"Does the pardon given to Joe Hunter extend to the January 6 hostages (citizens accused of storming the Capitol on January 6, 2021) who have been incarcerated for years? Such an abuse and violation of justice!" - Trump wrote on social media Truth.
In addition, not all Democrats supported Biden's decision. Thus, Colorado Governor Jared Polis said that as a father he understands Biden, but is "disappointed that he put his family before the interests of the country." "This is a bad precedent that could be abused by subsequent presidents," he said.
House Democratic member Greg Stanton also believes Biden Sr. was "wrong on this issue." "This was not a politically motivated prosecution," Stanton wrote on social media X. "Hunter committed serious crimes and was found guilty by a jury", he recalled.
There was an even harsher reaction from Republican lawmakers. House member James Comer said on Social Media X that the president "lied from start to finish about his family's corrupt activities." "Not only did he falsely claim that he never met with his son's foreign business associates and that his son did nothing wrong, but he lied when he said he would not pardon Hunter Biden," Comer noted.
"Joe Biden is a liar and a hypocrite to the very end," House of Representatives member Marjorie Taylor Green reacted on Social Media X.
The House Oversight Committee said in a statement on social media X: "From the lawsuit against President Trump to the pardon of Hunter Biden, Joe Biden's unprecedented abuse of power has become a stain on the honor of the U.S. presidency."
Meanwhile, the House Judiciary Committee, recalling statements by President Biden and White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre that Hunter Biden would not be pardoned, noted, "You have been lied to over and over again."
Sen. Ron Johnson said on Fox News Channel that "under a Democratic administration, there really is a dual justice system." "One protects Democrats and the other is armed against their political opponents," he added.
Meanwhile, Sen. Chuck Grassley wrote on social media X: "I am shocked that President Biden pardoned his son Hunter because he said many, many times he wouldn't do it and I believed him."
