US President Joe Biden announced on Sunday 1is December, having pardoned his son Hunter, 54, who was awaiting sentencing in cases of illegal possession of a firearm and tax evasion.
“No reasonable person looking at the facts in the Hunter cases can come to any conclusion other than this: Hunter was singled out solely because he is my son – and that is wrong.”said the Democrat in a press release, referring to “a miscarriage of justice”.
The American leader had however assured several times that he would not grant a presidential pardon to his son. The White House reaffirmed this again in September. Hunter Biden, 54, pleaded guilty in September to tax fraud in a Los Angeles, California, court, avoiding a trial.
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Politics has “infected” the judicial process, says Joe Biden
This former lawyer and businessman, now converted to painting, was notably faced with one count of tax evasion and two counts of false declarations for not having paid 1.4 million dollars in taxes over the last decade.
Joe Biden's youngest son has already been convicted this year of lying about his drug addiction when purchasing a weapon – a misdemeanor in the state of Delaware, the Biden stronghold. Hunter Biden was still waiting to know what sentence he would receive in each of these cases.
“I said I would not interfere with the decision-making of the Department of Justice and I kept my word even when I saw my son being selectively and unfairly prosecuted”said Joe Biden in his press release. “The accusations in his cases emerged only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election”he added. “I believe in the justice system but (…) I also believe [qu’une forme] crude politics has infected this process and [que] this led to a miscarriage of justice. »
