White House quickly rejects idea of a pardon for Hunter Biden
Written by ABC AUDIO on July 28, 2023
(WASHINGTON) — The White House quickly rejected the idea of a pardon for Hunter Biden, the president’s son, after his plea deal with federal prosecutors fell apart in court.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked during Thursday’s briefing if there was “any possibility” that President Joe Biden would wind up pardoning his younger son.
She immediately responded, “No.”
The exchange came one day after a federal judge in Delaware deferred the agreement struck by Hunter Biden and the Justice Department on tax and gun charges.
The president’s son, in a reversal, then entered a not guilty plea to the tax charges.
Hunter Biden had agreed to plead guilty to failing to pay taxes on income he received 2017 and 2018. In exchange, prosecutors would’ve recommended probation as opposed to prison time. Hunter Biden also would’ve entered a pretrial diversion agreement to avoid prosecution of a separate gun charge.
U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika raised concerns about the parties linking the tax plea agreement to the gun charge deal, as well a provision pertaining to possible immunity for Hunter Biden.
Noreika, who said she felt she was being asked to “rubber-stamp” the deal despite those concerns, gave both sides 30 days to work toward resolving the issues.
Jean-Pierre briefly addressed the deferred deal this week, telling reporters Wednesday that Hunter Biden “is a private citizen and this was a personal matter for him.”
“As we have said, the president, the first lady — they love their son, and they support him as he continues to rebuild his life. This case was handled independently, as all of you know, by the Justice Department under the leadership of a prosecutor appointed by the former president, President [Donald] Trump,” Jean-Pierre said.
President Biden, as a father, has long defended his son despite Hunter Biden’s controversies.
After the plea agreement was struck, the president said he was “proud” of his son. But he has so far declined to answer any questions after what happened in court this week.
Asked on Thursday if President Biden has spoken to his son, Jean-Pierre said she wasn’t going to share any private conversations the president has with his family.
ABC News’ Elizabeth Schulze pressed Jean-Pierre if the president was concerned that his son’s legal challenges would take attention away from the White House.
“I’m just not going to speak to the politics of this, I’m not going to speak to — characterize any of this for the president,” Jean-Pierre responded. “What I can say is that, and I’ve said it before, this is a personal matter.”
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