White House rejects possibility of Joe Biden pardoning son Hunter
Hunter Biden
The White House clarified that President Joe Biden will not pardon his son, Hunter Biden, who pleaded not guilty to two tax charges in court.
At a briefing, the press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked: “From a presidential perspective, is there any possibility that the president would end up pardoning his son?”
“No,” Jean-Pierrereplied.
Pressed, she said: “I just said no. I answered.”
The charges against Hunter Biden were both misdemeanours, and he was expected to plead guilty as part of a deal with federal prosecutors that included a pre-trial diversion programme for the felony guns charge.
However, a question from the judge led to the delay of the deal.
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Republicans accuse Joe Biden of corruption
Republicans have raised concerns about Hunter Biden's business affairs and personal struggles with addiction, using them to level accusations of corruption against President Biden and even calling for his impeachment, as reported by Reuters.
The controversial use of pardon power
The pardon power, established via Article 2 of the US Constitution, grants the president the authority to grant reprieves and pardons for offences against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.
Over the years, the use of the pardon power has become increasingly controversial, with some presidents like Bill Clinton and Donald Trump bestowing pardons and acts of clemency on donors and supporters.
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Trump's legal battles and pardoning prospect
Trump currently faces 71 criminal indictments and may seek to draw out these legal battles in hopes of securing a pardon, either during his own run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024 or under another Republican president.
Presidential pardons do not extend to state-level indictments, meaning Trump faces 34 criminal charges in New York related to hush-money payments and potential charges in Georgia over election subversion in 2020.
Biden's approach to pardon power
President Biden has used the pardon power sparingly, primarily focusing on convictions for offences related to drugs.
In contrast, during his time in office, Trump issued 143 pardons and 94 commutations, which included controversial pardons for his close advisers such as Steve Bannon, Roger Stone and Paul Manafort.
However, data from the Pew Research Centreshows that Trump's use of executive clemency power was less frequent than most other presidents since the turn of the 20th century.
(With inputs from agencies)
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