White House "Biden Pardons Son to Stop Political Offensive"

In response to U.S. President Joe Biden pardoning his second son Hunter Biden ahead of his retirement, the White House said the decision was aimed at preventing political offensives from political opponents.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told a briefing on Biden's flight to Africa on Tuesday that one of the reasons the president pardoned him was because his political opponents seemed unlikely to let go of the Hunter Biden issue.

Jean-Pierre went on to explain that Biden made the pardon decision because he trusted the Justice Department but believed his son was politically coordinated.

Asked if he thought Biden would have pardoned even if Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris had won the presidential election, he declined to give an immediate answer, but added that the president had grappled with the issue over the weekend.