President Joe Biden has issued an official pardon for his son Hunter, who was set to face sentencing this month on federal felony gun and tax convictions
It comes as the Democratic president had previously said he would not pardon his son or commute his sentence
But on Sunday evening, President Biden said although he believed in the justice system, “politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice”
Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to tax charges earlier in September, and was found guilty of being an illegal drug user in possession of a gun in June – becoming the first child of a sitting president to be a convicted of a crime
President-elect Donald Trump has called the pardon an “abuse and miscarriage of justice.”
“Don’t take Donald Trump’s criticism of Joe Biden’s pardon as a blanket condemnation of all favours for family members,” said Mark Wendling, Digital Reporter for the BBC.
He said that just a day ago, Trump said he intends to nominate Charles Kushner as ambassador to France.
Kushner is the father of Jared Kushner, a former White House senior adviser who is married to Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka.
Charles Kushner was sentenced to two years in prison in 2005, on charges of tax evasion, illegal campaign donations and witness tampering.
During the case, it was revealed he had hired a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law, then had a tape of their encounter sent to his sister.
Charles Kushner had his record expunged in 2020 when Donald Trump issued him a pardon – though he had long since done his time in prison. The same is not true of Hunter Biden, who was yet to face a sentencing hearing. BBC Report
