President-elect Donald Trump responded on social media to President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, expressing concerns over the decision and how it could impact America’s justice system.
Earlier this year, Hunter Biden was found guilty of three felonies related to the illegal purchase of a gun in October 2018, which included making false statements on a firearm transaction form and illegally possessing a firearm while “addicted to controlled substances,” according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
In September, Hunter pleaded guilty in a separate case to all charges of a nine-count indictment, including three felony tax offenses and six misdemeanor tax offenses.
The tax charges stemmed from a scheme in which he evaded over $1.4 million in federal taxes between 2016 and 2019, falsely filed tax returns, and then spent millions on personal expenses rather than paying any of his tax obligations, as outlined in a DOJ press release.
Before the recent pardon from his dad, Hunter Biden was facing up to 17 years in prison for the tax charges alone, with his sentencing previously scheduled for December of this year.
Trump specifically questioned how the recent pardon reflects on those involved in the events that took place at the capitol building on January 6, 2021.
In a series of posts to his Truth Social platform late Sunday, Trump called Hunter Biden’s pardon an “abuse” and “miscarriage of justice.”
“Does the pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years?” Trump wrote.
While Trump has been critical of the legal proceedings against those involved in the January 6 events, a Reagan-appointed judge recently dismissed Trump’s use of the term “hostages,” calling the description “preposterous” during recent legal proceedings in Washington D.C.
Trump’s incoming White House Communications Chief, Steven Cheung, also condemned the pardon of Hunter Biden, accusing the Department of Justice and certain prosecutors of “weaponizing the justice system.”
“That system of justice must be fixed and due process must be restored for all Americans, which is exactly what President Trump will do as he returns to the White House with an overwhelming mandate from the American people,” Cheung told Fox News.
Biden had previously said he would not interfere or pardon his son, and many had assumed that Hunter might even face the full consequences of his criminal charges.
Yet, in a statement released by the White House on Sunday, the current president defended his change of heart, also describing his son’s prosecution as politically motivated and unfair.
“From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,” Biden said.
“Without aggravating factors like use in a crime, multiple purchases, or buying a weapon as a straw purchaser, people are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form… Those who were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions, but paid them back subsequently with interest and penalties, are typically given non-criminal resolutions,” Biden continued.
President Biden would go on to argue that his son’s struggle with substance abuse, combined with his newfound commitment to sobriety, warranted clemency from his charges.
“There has been an effort to break Hunter, who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. … In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me, and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough,” Biden added.
The President ended his statement justifying the pardon by saying, “I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.”