(UnitedVoice.com) – The Constitution grants the president of the United States wide pardon powers for criminal offenses. In fact, it has no limits except that the POTUS can’t pardon people for state crimes. Recently, the White House responded to a question about whether President Joe Biden plans to pardon his son, Hunter Biden.
Hunter Biden is currently facing several charges for multiple crimes in federal court. Prosecutors allege he failed to pay more than $100,000 in taxes for each of the years 2017 and 2018. He’s also accused of possessing a firearm unlawfully while he was an active drug user. The president could make it all go away by issuing a pardon for his son, but press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said he would not do that during a briefing on July 27.
When a White House reporter asked if he would use his pardon power to protect his only living son, Jean-Pierre stated, “No.” The reporter tried to follow up, but the press secretary dismissed him, saying, “I just said no. I just answered.”
BREAKING: Karine Jean-Pierre says Joe Biden would not pardon Hunter. pic.twitter.com/tAKRPE42JV
— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) July 27, 2023
There is some skepticism about whether Biden really intends to stay out of it. After all, he has contradicted White House officials in the past. For example, when Jen Psaki was serving as press secretary, she was forced to walk back comments the president said about Taiwan. She claimed the US policy of “strategic ambiguity” was still in place, but the president said he’d use American troops to defend the island against a Chinese invasion. When the press pointed out the contradiction in October 2021, she simply stated that longstanding policy “has not changed.” A year later, Biden once again stated the US Armed Forces would help defend Taiwan.
If the president was willing to contradict the press office on something as serious as the US troops getting involved in a war, that seems to leave the possibility open that he would do it when it comes to his child as well. As it stands, Biden has not commented on the matter himself.
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