‘Miscarriage of justice’: Trump lashes Biden’s pardon of son Hunter

Donald Trump has lashed US President Joe Biden after he issued a pardon for his son Hunter, who faces sentencing for two criminal cases.

Donald Trump has lashed President Joe Biden after he decided to issue a pardon for his son Hunter, who is facing sentencing for two criminal cases.

Earlier today, the departing US leader claimed his son had been “singled out” due to his family connections to the top office.

“No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son - and that is wrong,” the President said in a statement on Monday (AEDT).

Trump has since lashed the president’s actions online, calling it an “abuse and miscarriage of justice”.

Taking to his social media platform, Truth Social, he also asked whether Biden’s pardon would also include the January 6 “hostages”.

“Does the Pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years?” he asked on the platform.

“Such an abuse and miscarriage of justice!”

US President Joe Biden talks with his son Hunter Biden. Picture: AFP

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Mr Biden has repeatedly said he wouldn’t intervene in his son’s legal troubles, with the White House press secretary stating as recently as September that the President wouldn’t issue a pardon for Hunter.

The president labelled the legal action against his son a “miscarriage of justice”.

Hunter was convicted earlier this year of lying about his drug use when he bought a gun - a felony - and has also pleaded guilty in a separate tax evasion trial.

He was also set to be sentenced in a separate criminal case on December 16 after pleading guilty in September to federal tax evasion charges.

The pardon is reportedly expected to cover both Hunter’s gun charges conviction and guilty plea.

The reaction on social media was savage, including from President-elect Trump’s camp, with many accusing the US President of “lying” due to his previous statements.

American writer and lawyer Clay Travis wrote: “For years Joe Biden’s administration assured you Joe would never pardon Hunter. It’s really extraordinary how blatantly they lie.”

However Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist, had a surprising take writing: “Honestly, I don’t think this is something worth getting mad over. A father should look after his son. Joe has been so mistreated by the Democrat party and disrespected, this is the one thing he’s actually always cared about.”

Hunter Biden (C), son of US President Joe Biden, and his wife Melissa Cohen, leave court after his guilty plea in his trail on tax evasion in Los Angeles, California, on September 5, 2024. Picture: AFP

Meanwhile, criminal cases against Trump have come to a standstill after a sweeping ruling on presidential immunity by the Supreme Court - all but ensuring Biden’s Republican rival will likely never see a jail cell, even after his landmark conviction for falsifying business records in May.

Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung told The New York Post: “The failed witch hunts against President Trump have proven that the Democrat-controlled DOJ and other radical prosecutors are guilty of weaponising the justice system.” 

“That system of justice must be fixed and due process must be restored for all Americans, which is exactly what President Trump will do as he returns to the White House with an overwhelming mandate from the American people.”

In Monday’s statement, Biden said reaffirmed, “I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word” but added, “I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted.”

“The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election.

“I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice.”

- With AFP and the NY Post