Former US President Donald Trump said he would not rule out pardoning Hunter Biden if he is re-elected in November, calling the case against Joe Biden’s son “very bad for our country.”
Donald Trump, the former US President, has indicated that he might consider pardoning Hunter Biden if he wins the November election.
Hunter Biden was found guilty in June of three federal felonies related to gun charges, including lying about his drug use on a firearm application. He could face up to 25 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for November. Additionally, Biden pleaded guilty last month to nine federal tax charges, potentially adding another 17 years to his potential sentence.
Following the verdict, President Joe Biden stated his respect for the judicial process and expressed satisfaction with the fairness of his son’s trial. He also stated that he would not intervene in the case and ruled out any attempt to exonerate Hunter.
When asked by conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Thursday if he would pardon Hunter Biden, Trump responded that he would not rule out the possibility. He cited the multiple legal challenges faced by Hunter Biden, which Trump believes were initiated by his political opponents as retaliation. Trump himself has faced legal battles this year, including a Manhattan jury finding him guilty of 34 felony counts related to alleged hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and his role in the January 6, 2021 Capitol Hill riots.
Trump drew a comparison to his own decision not to prosecute Hillary Clinton after the 2016 election, despite pressure from his supporters. He explained that he chose not to pursue legal action against Clinton because he believed it would create a negative perception. “I could have gone after Hillary,” Trump said, adding that he ultimately decided against it because he thought it “would look terrible.”
Trump acknowledged that Hunter Biden has had a troubled past, stating that he has been “a bad boy” and that “all you had to do is see the laptop from hell.” However, he also expressed concern about the impact of the entire situation surrounding the US President’s son, calling it “very bad for our country.”
In 2020, the contents of Hunter Biden’s personal laptop, allegedly left at a Delaware repair shop while he was under the influence of crack cocaine, were leaked online. This leak implicated the Biden family in several foreign corruption schemes. US intelligence officials have since attempted to discredit the scandal as “Russian disinformation” despite verification of the laptop’s contents as authentic.