President Joe Biden recently justified pardoning his son, Hunter Biden, by claiming he was “selectively and unfairly prosecuted” for federal tax and gun crimes. Biden stated, “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,” adding that the prosecution amounted to a “miscarriage of justice.”
Weiss Dismisses Biden’s Argument
Special Counsel David Weiss, however, has dismissed these claims as baseless. In a filing with the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Weiss explained that while Hunter received an act of mercy in the form of a pardon, it does not erase the legal process that led to the charges. Weiss stated, “The Government does not challenge that the defendant has been the recipient of an act of mercy. But that does not mean the grand jury’s decision to charge him, based on a finding of probable cause, should be wiped away as if it never occurred.” He further emphasized, “No court has agreed with the defendant on these baseless claims,” and noted that Hunter’s request to dismiss the indictment has “no support in the law or the practice of this district.”
Court Rejects Selective Prosecution Claims
In a separate filing, Weiss pointed to prior court rejections of Hunter’s claims of selective prosecution. Judges in both Hunter’s tax case in California and his gun charges in Delaware dismissed these accusations. Weiss referenced the ruling of U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika, who struck down Hunter’s bid to dismiss the federal gun charges. Judge Noreika described the claim that Hunter was being targeted by his own father as “nonsensical under the facts here.” She explained, “The Executive Branch that charged Defendant is headed by that sitting President – Defendant’s father,” further reinforcing that there was no evidence to support the claim of selective prosecution.
Hunter’s Legal Troubles
Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to nine counts related to $1.4 million in unpaid taxes in September and was found guilty of three federal gun charges in June after being charged with possession of a firearm while addicted to illegal drugs. Despite the pardoning act, the legal processes surrounding his charges remain intact, with the courts rejecting the notion of political targeting in the case.
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