Morning Note

Joe Biden granted his son Hunter a “full and unconditional pardon” on Sunday, ironically justifying his decision by arguing the cases against the pardonee were political persecutions. 

“No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong,” the outgoing president said in a written statement. “Raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice… I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.”

A jury convicted the younger Biden, a famed artist and Ukrainian energy executive, of three separate felony charges in June related to his purchase of a firearm while he was an active drug user. He also pleaded guilty to nine tax evasion charges. 

The White House had previously insisted that Biden would not pardon his son, ruling the possibility out on numerous occasions. “We’ve been asked that question multiple times,” Karine Jean-Pierre said of a potential pardon last month. “Our answer stands, which is no.”

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