Jill Biden declared that the family could not allow their son, Hunter, to face jail time under the Trump administration's Department of Justice.
Despite Joe Biden's previous promises not to pardon Hunter, he reversed his stance at the end of his presidency.
"And then the Justice Department changed. And I think that the process was not fair to Hunter," Jill Biden stated in an interview with CBS News Sunday Morning's Rita Braver. "When Trump was elected, things changed, and we knew that he would target Hunter. And we just could not let our son go to jail on a charge that no one would go, I mean, no one has ever gone to jail for."
Hunter Biden faced conviction in June 2024 on three felony charges linked to his 2018 revolver purchase while battling drug addiction, during which he provided false information on paperwork. Additionally, he pleaded guilty to nine tax evasion charges in a separate case in September 2024.
The decision to pardon Hunter sparked bipartisan backlash.
When Braver inquired if she encouraged her husband to issue the pardon, Jill Biden responded: "I truly supported it. I wanted him to pardon Hunter at that point, and I agreed with Joe."
Regarding Joe Biden's preemptive pardons for other family members before leaving office, Jill Biden explained: "I suppose for the same reason that he felt that they would be targeted."
Jill Biden also discussed the upcoming election, her husband's debate performance for 2024, and her memoir titled "View from the East Wing: A Memoir."
In:
