On Friday, Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, addressed the question of whether President Joe Biden would consider pardoning his son, Hunter, in light of the recent criminal charges filed against him.
This development comes after a California grand jury brought forth nine new tax charges against Hunter Biden on Thursday. Jean-Pierre provided insights on the matter while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One.
“The president has said this before, and he will continue to say, which is that he loves his son and supports him as he continues to rebuild his life. I’m going to be really careful and not comment on this and refer you to Department of Justice or my colleagues at the White House counsel,” Jean-Pierre said.
“I’m not gonna go beyond telling you all what the president has said over and over again. He’s proud of his son,” she added.
Another journalist inquired with Jean-Pierre about whether the president has any intentions of pardoning his son given the recent charges.
“You’ve said before that the president would not pardon his son. Is that still the case?” the reporter asked.
“Nothing has changed. That is still the case,” Jean-Pierre replied.
Journalists sought to question President Biden directly regarding the recent criminal charges against his son. However, he chose to ignore these inquiries as he departed the White House on Friday afternoon.
Biden doesn’t respond to questions on his son Hunter as he heads to Marine One on trip to Vegas pic.twitter.com/jW8FLXyr4k
— Danny Kemp (@dannyctkemp) December 8, 2023
Hunter Biden has been formally charged with nine tax-related offenses, including failure to pay taxes, failure to file taxes, and making false tax filings spanning four years. The indictment alleges that Hunter participated in a “four-year scheme,” enabling him to evade payment of approximately $1.4 million in taxes owed for the tax years 2016 to 2019, despite having ample income during that period to meet his tax obligations.
In the Central District of California, the president’s son could potentially face a maximum sentence of 17 years, encompassing three felony offenses and six misdemeanors. Hunter’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, has asserted that these charges stem from Republican pressure on special counsel David Weiss, the lead prosecutor overseeing the ongoing criminal investigation into Hunter Biden.
Hunter Biden faces nine counts of federal tax charges in Los Angeles. https://t.co/PL46OQa1S1
— Josh Wingrove (@josh_wingrove) December 8, 2023
Concurrently, Hunter Biden is confronting three federal gun charges in Delaware, carrying the potential for a cumulative prison sentence of 25 years. These purported firearm offenses are linked to a reported 2018 purchase of a firearm in Delaware, a period during which he was contending with an addiction to crack cocaine. In October, he entered a plea of not guilty in response to the gun charges.
