Joe Biden won’t pardon son Hunter
Joe Biden has confirmed he will not pardon his son Hunter before leaving office in the wake of Donald Trump’s election win.
The US president’s son, 54, is due to be sentenced on firearms charges in early December.
He became the first child of a sitting president to be convicted of a criminal offence after a jury found him guilty in June of lying about his drug use when applying to purchase a gun six years ago.
In September, he pled guilty to federal tax charges in a separate case he faced shortly before his second criminal trial was due to begin.
The president and other White House officials have repeatedly said he would not use his presidential powers to lessen his son’s eventual sentence.
On Thursday, the White House said there are still no plans for Mr Biden to pardon his son before leaving office.
“Our answer stands, which is no,” Karine Jean-Pierre, Mr Biden’s spokesman, told reporters at the White House press briefing.
‘Hunter’s a bad boy’
Asked about the possibility of a commutation, Ms Jean-Pierre said: “That’s not what we’re going to do.”
Mr Trump, who has repeatedly highlighted Hunter Biden’s salacious past, said late last month that he would not rule out a pardon for him if he were to win the presidential election.
“I wouldn’t take it off the books,” he told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.
“See, unlike Joe Biden, despite what they’ve done to me,” he said, referencing his own criminal convictions, adding: “Hunter’s a bad boy. There’s no question about it. He’s been a bad boy”.