White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was caught off guard Wednesday when President Biden announced pardons for his son, Hunter Biden, who previously faced felony convictions on charges of tax fraud and wire fraud.
Despite repeatedly vowing that the President wouldn’t pardon his son’s crimes, Jean-Pierre’s previous denials date back to July 2023. In response to questions about the possibility, she has consistently said “no” and claimed Joe Biden wasn’t considering leniency for his progeny.
The President on Sunday announced that he planned to grant his son conditional clemency, amid allegations that Hunter was granted favorable treatment by the Joe Biden administration. The justification for the pardon, penned by Biden himself, acknowledged that his son was treated irregularly compared to others dealt with similarly situated criminal counts.
Prior to the sudden turn of events, Jen-Pierre maintained that Joseph R. Biden Jr and the Department of Justice remain separate, stating that presidents shouldn’t interfere with administrative decisions, which she echoed on November 2022. The President’s claims he’d respect the choices of his son’s attorney, indicating he wouldn’t interfere, also didn not seem to affect the developments.
White House Press Speaker Karine Jean-Pierre denied repeatedly the possibility amid multiple opportunities for the President Biden to pardon
Despite consistently saying that pardon wasn’t an option after being requested several times previously, in a statement late Sunday evening, President the White House declared that His son has been granted.