President Joe Biden cited “selective prosecution” of his son as the rationale behind his decision to grant a ten-year pardon.
In their motion to dismiss the New York case against Donald Trump, his lawyers, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, have included excerpts from President Biden’s statement justifying the sweeping pardon granted to his son, Hunter. The pardon, issued last week, shields Hunter Biden from federal prosecution for any crimes committed between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024.
Trump’s legal team argues that Biden’s action constitutes an “extraordinary condemnation” of the Department of Justice (DoJ), asserting that the federal government’s actions directly influenced the New York prosecution.
The motion seeks to overturn Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan’s May conviction of Trump in the hush-money case involving Stormy Daniels. This conviction marked the first time a former US president faced a felony conviction. Following Trump’s re-election, Merchan adjourned sentencing and permitted the filing of a new motion to dismiss.
Blanche and Bove allege that District Attorney Alvin Bragg politically targeted Trump, claiming Bragg campaigned on a promise to pursue charges against Trump.
“Continuing this meritless legal challenge disrupts President Trump’s transition and his ability to exercise the full executive powers granted by the Constitution following his November 5, 2024, electoral victory,” the lawyers wrote.
Critics cite Trump’s felony conviction and other pending charges as evidence of his unfitness for office. Trump, however, maintains he is the victim of a politically motivated “witch hunt” orchestrated by the Biden administration and the Democratic Party.
Biden characterized his son’s prosecution as unfair and politically motivated, stating it aimed “to attack me and oppose my election.” He criticized the DoJ’s refusal to offer Hunter a plea deal, alleging that “raw politics infected this process, resulting in a miscarriage of justice.”
The decade-long immunity granted to Hunter encompasses his employment with the Ukrainian gas company Burisma and other business dealings that critics have suggested constituted influence peddling.