In a recent interview, former First Lady Jill Biden suggested that former President Joe Biden had little choice but to grant a comprehensive pardon to Hunter Biden, his son, following Hunter’s convictions on federal charges related to gun possession and tax evasion.
Speaking with CBS News’ “Sunday Morning” ahead of the launch of her memoir, “View from the East Wing,” Jill Biden asserted, “The Justice Department underwent significant changes, and the procedure was unjust towards Hunter.”
“When Trump assumed office, everything shifted,” she continued. “We anticipated Hunter would become a target. To see our son imprisoned for a charge that has never resulted in a jail sentence for anyone else was unthinkable.”
Pressed on whether she had “urged” her husband to pardon his son, Jill Biden avoided a direct answer, telling correspondent Rita Braver, “Oh gosh, I fully supported it. I wanted Joe to pardon Hunter at that moment, and I stood by his decision.”
Hunter Biden, now 56, faced conviction on June 11, 2024, for three counts related to misrepresenting his drug use when purchasing a firearm in 2018. Later, in September, he admitted guilt in a Los Angeles federal court for evading $1.4 million in taxes. These charges were initiated by his father’s Justice Department under the special counsel David Weiss.
In contrast to Jill Biden’s remarks, it is noteworthy that rapper Kodak Black received a 46-month prison sentence in 2019 after admitting to using an incorrect Social Security number on a federal gun purchase form.
Despite the White House’s repeated insistence that Joe Biden would not pardon his son, the 46th president issued a sweeping clemency on Dec. 1, 2024, clearing his offspring of all offenses committed between Jan. 1, 2014, and Dec. 1, 2024, including any crimes for which he had not been charged.
