Why will Joe Biden pardon Hunter when his first son faces a bleak future with his father out of the White House?

Bob Woodward predicted that President Joe Biden would pardon his son Hunter, even though the White House has repeatedly said that would not be the case.

But questions remain about the future of his first son, a former drug addict who will be sentenced next month over allegations of arms and tax fraud.

And the 54-year-old will only have a few months to decide whether his father will forgive him.

Referring to the news he did for his book ‘War’, Woodward said, ‘The Hunter Biden issue is tearing Joe Biden’s heart apart, and this is something he talks about with his close friends.’ he said.

He’s worried about where this will go. He said he wouldn’t forgive her. There are a few tries ahead. Frankly, I know enough about Biden, but I don’t believe it. “I think he’ll forgive his son,” the Washington Post reporter told The Late Show’s Stephen Colbert.

In June, Hunter Biden was found guilty of three felony charges related to his 2018 purchase of a handgun. Then, in September, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to nine charges in a federal tax case.

President Joe Biden has repeatedly said he will not pardon his son Hunter Biden, but many think he may do so before the end of his presidency

President Biden is said to be deeply concerned for his son and fears Hunter could relapse into drug addiction under pressure.

He has repeatedly said that he will not forgive his son or commute his sentence.

However, Article II of the Constitution Article and Section 2 give the president the authority to pardon any federal crime.

Jeffrey Crouch, a professor at American University and an expert on the pardon process, stated that a president ‘can use his clemency power whenever he wants and as often as he wants.’

If Biden chooses to pardon his son, the only real consequence would be a stain on his legacy.

Voters may also punish the Democratic Party at the voting booth in the next election.

‘The president may also face consequences come election season in which he, or at least his political party, could be punished by voters. Crouch said the President should always keep their legacy in mind.

Additionally, Donald Trump did not rule out pardoning Hunter if he wins a second term in the White House.

‘I’m not taking this off the books,’ he told radio host Hugh Hewitt. ‘Look, unlike Joe Biden, despite what he did to me, despite coming after me so brutally, Hunter is a bad boy. There is no question about this. He was a bad kid.’

Other presidents have issued controversial pardons, often in the final days of their presidency.

In 1974, President Gerald Ford pardoned his predecessor, Richard Nixon, for all crimes he “committed or may have committed” in the Watergate scandal. This was the first preemptive pardon by a president.

In 2001, President Bill Clinton, on his last day in office, pardoned 140 people, including billionaire Marc Rich, who had been on the run for decades for making illegal oil deals and failing to pay more than $48 million in taxes.

This resulted in a federal investigation into donations Rich’s ex-wife made to the Clintons. However, the investigation did not find enough evidence to incriminate Clinton.

Clinton also pardoned her half-brother Roger Clinton, who was convicted on drug charges.

In the last 12 hours of his presidency, Donald Trump pardoned and commuted the sentences of 144 people, including his former advisers Stephen Bannon and Roger Stone. He also pardoned Charles Kushner, the father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and rapper Lil Wayne.

Hunter Biden leaves the Delaware courthouse with his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, and his mother, Jill Biden, after a jury found him guilty of all three charges at his trial on gun crime charges

Following the decision, President Joe Biden flew to Wilmington to hug his son Hunter

Joe Biden expressed sadness and disappointment over his son’s legal cases.

In his book ‘War’, Woodward also stated that he regretted choosing Merrick Garland as attorney general and wrote that he was angry at the prosecution of the president’s son.

Special prosecutor David Weiss, who prosecuted both cases against Hunter, said he filed the case against the president’s son to show that no one is “above the law.”

Hunter Biden is scheduled to be sentenced in the Delaware gun case on December 13 and in the California tax case on December 16.

This is a month after the 2024 elections.

Hunter expressed his fear that it would be “the end of America” ​​if Trump is re-elected as president.

“Donald Trump’s second presidency potentially means the end of America as we know it,” the president’s son said. In an interview with Politico this month.

He said his biggest concern was ‘losing our democracy to a fascist minority’ and stated that he was afraid of the election board’s decision on who would be elected president.

Hunter Biden also accused Trump of ‘lying, spreading fear and spreading disinformation’.

‘It is easier to scare people with lies than to educate them with the truth. Faster. “It sticks to your bones,” he said.

President Biden can pardon or commute his son’s sentences at any time before he leaves office on January 20, 2025.

Friends of the family have questioned whether the president would keep his promise not to pardon, given concerns about Hunter’s mental state and the fact that there is essentially no political danger to him since he will not run for a second term.

Additionally, Donald Trump has promised that if he wins the election, his political enemies will be sued and Hunter will be a top target. President Biden’s blanket pardon would protect his son from any actions by Trump.

Jurors in the gun purchase trial in June found Hunter Biden guilty of lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making false claims on the application by saying he was not a drug user, and illegally possessing the gun for 11 days.

Hunter faces up to 25 years in prison, but as a first-time offender, he won’t be near the maximum and there’s no guarantee the judge will send him to prison.

At the September tax trial, Hunter could face up to 17 years in prison for crimes including tax evasion, filing false tax returns and failing to pay taxes. The judge may also impose a hefty fine of up to $1.3 million.

The judges in both cases were appointed by President Trump.

Hunter is a first time offender. He had been sober for years and paid his taxes and fines, even though the money was provided by a wealthy friend.

President BidenIt is known that he was upset about the situation.

Hours after Hunter was convicted in the Delaware gun case in June, President Biden flew to Wilmington to spend the night with his family before heading to the G7 summit in Italy.

She also spent a few minutes cradling her son on the tarmac in front of the cameras.