This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Despite pledging he would not do so, Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter on Sunday after the president's son was convicted in two separate federal cases earlier this year.
"Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter," Biden wrote in a statement.
"From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department's decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted."
"Without aggravating factors like use in a crime, multiple purchases, or buying a weapon as a straw purchaser, people are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form. Those who were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions, but paid them back subsequently with interest and penalties, are typically given non-criminal resolutions. It is clear that Hunter was treated differently.
"The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election. Then, a carefully negotiated plea deal, agreed to by the Department of Justice, unraveled in the court room – with a number of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure on the process. Had the plea deal held, it would have been a fair, reasonable resolution of Hunter's cases.
"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. There has been an effort to break Hunter – who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to break Hunter, they've tried to break me – and there's no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough.
"For my entire career I have followed a simple principle: just tell the American people the truth. They'll be fair-minded. Here's the truth: I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice – and once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further. I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision."
Steven Cheung, a spokesman for President-elect Donald Trump said: "The failed witch hunts against President Trump have proven that the Democrat-controlled DOJ and other radical prosecutors are guilty of weaponizing the justice system.
"That system of justice must be fixed and due process must be restored for all Americans, which is exactly what President Trump will do as he returns to the White House with an overwhelming mandate from the American people."
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., slammed the pardon, saying: "Hunter Biden broke gun laws, he broke the FARA Act, and worst of all, he broke the Mann Act by sex trafficking women across the country.
"This pardon is Joe Biden's admission that Hunter is a criminal. Biden tried to throw President Trump's sons in jail, but he lets his son off free even though he's a convict.
"His FBI and DOJ raided Barron's bedroom and Melania's closet at Mar-a-Lago. Joe Biden is a liar and a hypocrite, all the way to the end."
TMZ reported Biden's decision to pardon Hunter was actually made months ago: "We're told Hunter and his legal team felt the second trial – where he was charged with 9 tax-related charges – was winnable. Yet Hunter entered a guilty plea in September, which at the time was puzzling because he and his lawyers felt they'd get a not guilty verdict.
"Our sources – again, with direct knowledge – tell TMZ when the guilty verdict was entered it was done with knowledge that President Biden would pardon him."
Conservative author Ben Shapiro said, "Joe Biden has always been a venal liar who utilized his political power to pursue familial gain. So of course he's pardoning Hunter. He was always going to pardon Hunter. Hunter was the bagman."
