White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was bombarded with questions from reporters in the first televised press briefing since President Biden pardoned son Hunter Biden.
She also spoke to reporters earlier this week from Air Force One.
“The statement that he put out on Sunday when he made this decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, it’s in his own voice,” Jean-Pierre said after she was asked about Hunter Biden’s pardon by an Associated Press reporter.
“I think it takes you through his thinking. And he did. He wrestled with this. He wrestled with this, and again, he said in his statement, in his own voice, that he made that decision this past weekend.”
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The president and Jean-Pierre said unequivocally when asked over the summer that the president would not pardon his son.
Jean-Pierre insisted “circumstances have changed.”
“Republicans said they weren’t going to let up, weren’t going to stop,” she said. “Recently announced Trump appointees for law enforcement have said on the campaign that they were out for retribution, and I think we should believe their words, right? We should believe what they say.”
She added that the president said in his statement that Hunter and the Biden family had been through “enough.”
“And he wrestled with these circumstances, the change in circumstances, ultimately, and the combination of that … certainly led to the president changing his mind and issuing this pardon,” she explained.
But reporters continued to press her on the issue, asking whether the American people were owed an apology. Jean-Pierre appeared to evade the question, instead urging people to read the president’s statement.
“He wrestled with it,” she reiterated. “He wrestled with it and made this decision. That’s what I can tell the American people.
“I think the American people understand, and I think they understand how difficult this decision would be. And I would actually add, and I think it’s important to note here, as you’re asking me these questions — important questions to ask — that there was a poll, a U.S. Gov poll that came out that, some of you all reported on it.
“And it said 64% of the American people agree with the pardon — 64% of the American people. So, we get a sense of where the American people are on this. Obviously, it’s one poll, but it gives you a little bit of insight. Sixty-four percent is nothing to sneeze at.”
She noted that some legal experts have said “no one would be criminally prosecuted with felony offenses with these facts,” claiming Hunter Biden was politically targeted.
Hunter Biden was convicted on three felony charges related to illegally owning a gun while being a drug user. He also pleaded guilty in a federal tax case.
She was also asked if the president has concerns about his credibility regarding the pardon and about allegations he “misled the public.”
“Virtually no one would be criminally prosecuted with family offenses, with these facts. Whether it’s absent aggravated factors, similar charges are rarely brought,” she said, again pointing to Biden’s statement.
One reporter also noted that Biden has received “swift criticism” from members of his own party who call it a “setback,” worrying that President-elect Trump and Republicans could use the pardon against them in the future.
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“He’s going to focus on the American people,” Jean-Pierre responded when asked if he felt the need to respond to Democratic criticism.
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