Dec 2, 2024 - Politics & Policy

"Miscarriage of justice:" White House press secretary explains Biden pardon

Sareen Habeshian

Biden, accompanied by White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, speaks during a news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on October 04, 2024 in Washington, DC. Biden made a surprise appearance, his first in the briefing room since becoming president, to tout a positi — President Biden, accompanied by White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, at the White House on Oct. 4. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Monday explained President Biden's process in his decision to pardon his son Hunter Biden.

The big picture: Biden's decision to issue a presidential pardon for Hunter Biden, which he previously said he would not do, has been met with condemnation, including from members of the president's own party.

Driving the news: Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday that Biden said he made the decision over the weekend.

The president said "he wrestled with this and, because he believes in the justice system, but he also believes that the raw politics infected the process and led to a miscarriage of justice," Jean-Pierre said, per NBC News.
She added, "Hunter was singled out, and because his last name was Biden, because he was the president's son. That's what we saw. And so the president believed enough is enough, and the president took action, and he also believes that they tried to break his son in order to break him."

Catch up quick: The president issued the pardon Sunday for his son — the first child of a sitting president to face criminal charges.

Hunter Biden was convicted on felony gun charges in Delaware in June, and pleaded guilty on felony tax charges in California in September.
The pardon covers all acts from Jan. 1, 2014 to Dec. 1, 2024.

Go deeper: Joe Biden pardons Hunter Biden

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"Miscarriage of justice:" White House press secretary explains Biden pardon

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