The White House today announced in May that “No one is above the law,'' amid criticism for a sweeping pardon for his son Hunter Biden on Sunday evening after years of legal battles over two criminal cases. ” defended President Biden's declaration.
“Yes,” a White House official told Fox News Digital on Monday when asked if he believed “no one is above the law” even after Biden pardoned his son. “As he said in a statement, he deeply respects our nation's justice system, and as a wide range of legal experts have pointed out, this pardon is clearly within his authority. and is justified by the facts of the case.”
Biden posted a message on X on May 31, the day after President-elect Donald Trump was found guilty in a Manhattan criminal trial in May: “No one is above the law.”
Biden pardons son Hunter Biden before leaving Oval Office
President Biden speaks in the White House Rose Garden on Tuesday, November 26, 2024 in Washington, DC. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Seneta)
Following Hunter Biden's pardon for gun and tax cases, conservatives and others revived the post on social media, including Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) and Rep. Eli Crane. (R-Ariz.) quipped: The rule of law applies to all Americans “unless your last name is Biden.”
Republican Hammer Biden claims “no one is above the law'' after receiving Hunter pardon: “As old as fine milk''
“You have been lied to every step of the way by this administration and the corrupt Biden family. This is just the latest in their long-running cover-up scheme that they are imposing on others. will never follow the same rules. It's shameful,” the congressman said. Steve Scalise, Republican of Louisiana, responded to an old Biden post by declaring:
senator ted cruzR-Texas, posted, “This has aged like fine milk.”
Hunter Biden departs from the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building in Wilmington, Delaware on June 3, 2024. Biden is on trial for a felony firearms charge. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Biden's May message that “no one is above the law” came as his son prepared for his first criminal trial in Delaware, where he was charged with illegally purchasing firearms. Ta. He also had a separate trial for failing to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes.
Lawmakers harshly criticize Biden's decision to pardon Hunter: 'Liar'
Biden was found guilty on June 11 of lying about drug use when purchasing a firearm in 2018. Mr. Biden was found guilty of three counts of making a false statement when purchasing a gun and making a false statement regarding information required to be preserved. Possession of a firearm by a federally licensed gun dealer, possession of a firearm by an illegal user or addict of a controlled substance. Hunter Biden has an extensive and well-documented history of addiction, best illustrated in his 2021 memoir Beautiful Things, which takes readers through his spiral into crack cocaine use. .
Hunter faced a new trial in California state court in September on three felonies and six misdemeanors for failing to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes. As jury selection was about to begin, Los Angeles federal courtHunter made a surprise guilty plea.
President Biden (left) and his son Hunter Biden disembark from Air Force One at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, New York, Saturday, February 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Patrick Semanski)
Earlier this year, President Biden publicly promised at least twice that he would not pardon his son.
“Yes,” President Biden told ABC News when asked if he would rule out pardoning Hunter ahead of his conviction in the gun case.
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Days later, after a jury found Hunter guilty in the firearms case, the president again said he would not pardon his son.
After Hunter was convicted, Biden said, “I'm not going to do anything.” “I comply jury decision. ”
Conservatives criticized Biden for pardoning his son after vowing not to pardon him, but some lawyers, including Obama-era Attorney General Eric Holder, defended Biden over the pardon.
In a statement announcing the pardon, Biden called his son's charges politically motivated.
“It's clear that Mr. Hunter was treated differently,” Biden said in a statement.
“The charges in his case only arose after several of my political opponents in Congress attacked me and incited me to contest my election. A plea deal that was then carefully negotiated and agreed to by the Justice Department Many of my political opponents in Congress believe that a plea deal would have resulted in a fair and reasonable resolution to Hunter's case.
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“Throughout my career, I have followed a simple principle: Just tell the American people the truth. They are fair-minded. This is the truth. I believe in the justice system, but this Because I have done so, I also believe.'' Politics has infected this process and it has led to a miscarriage of justice – and now that I have made this decision this weekend, there is no point in delaying it further, and why a father and president would come to this decision. I hope the American people understand. ” the president added.
Fox News Digital's Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.
