White House sharply rebuffs notion of president pardoning Hunter Biden
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White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Thursday sharply rebuffed the notion of President Biden pardoning his son Hunter Biden, who is working out another plea deal with the Justice Department over an investigation of evading taxes.
When asked by a reporter if there is any possibility the president would end up pardoning his son, Jean-Pierre replied sharply: “No.”
When the reporter began asking a follow-up question, Jean-Pierre interrupted him and said, “I just said no,” and moved on to another reporter.
It was a rare moment in which the White House gave a definitive answer to any question involving Hunter Biden’s legal troubles. It came one day after the president’s son appeared at a federal court in Delaware, where an initial plea deal was scrambled by the end of a nearly three-hour court hearing.
The White House spent that day sidestepping questions over Hunter Biden’s legal dilemma.
“Hunter Biden is a private citizen, and this was a personal matter,” Jean-Pierre said Wednesday. “As we have said, the president, the first lady, they love their son, and they support him as he continues to rebuild his life.”
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The White House has stressed the Justice Department (DOJ) acts independently, referring questions to the agency, and stressing the case with Hunter Biden was overseen by a prosecutor appointed by former President Trump.
On Thursday, Jean-Pierre also firmly stated the DOJ was operating independently when asked if the president has ever pushed for preferential treatment for himself, his family, members of his administration or former President Trump.
Hunter Biden on Wednesday was expected to plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of willful failure to pay income taxes as part of a deal announced last month with the Justice Department.
Biden instead pleaded not guilty on Wednesday and the plea deal involving tax and gun charges was put on hold when the judge presiding over the case questioned the parameters of the agreement.
