White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused to apologize for repeatedly saying that President Joe Biden would not pardon his son Hunter.
Jean-Pierre was peppered with pardon-themed questions during Friday’s White House briefing, her first chance to field reporters’ questions in the briefing room since Biden announced Hunter’s pardon on Sunday.
She was given the opportunity to both apologize – and say that the president owed her an apology – for the president’s major flip-flip, which she excused by arguing that ‘circumstances have changed.’
Jean-Pierre didn’t apologize for the president’s change of heart and said in her case: ‘there’s no apology needed.’
‘Look, if you look at his statement, it’s pretty comprehensive. It’s in his own voice. I think it takes you through his thinking. And he did – he wrestled with this. He wrestled with this,’ Jean-Pierre said. ‘And again, he said, in his statement, in his own voice, that he made that decision this past weekend.’
‘And the fact is, when you think about how the president got to this decision, circumstances have changed. They have,’ she argued.
She didn’t point to the most obvious change – Vice President Kamala Harris losing the 2024 election – but instead pointed out how Republicans ‘have said they are not going to let up.’
Jean-Pierre also pointed out that Hunter’s sentencing was coming up, so the president decided ‘that Hunter and his family had been through enough.’
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre did not apologize for repeatedly saying that President Joe Biden would not pardon his son Hunter
Biden announced the decision after spending some intense family time on Nantucket over the Thanksgiving break with first lady Jill Biden, Hunter and daughter Ashley Biden.
Hunter brought his wife Melissa Cohen to the tony Massachusetts island and their son baby Beau, but none of the other grandchildren were in attendance this year.
DailyMail.com reported Monday on the family’s push to have Hunter pardoned.
Jean-Pierre repeatedly pointed to one of Biden’s top political allies, Rep. Jim Clyburn, previously the highest ranking black member of Congress, who argued that the president should pardon his son.
When Jean-Pierre was initially asked about an apology – if she was owed one – or did she owe one to the American people, she responded, ‘I just laid out the president’s thinking.’
‘And I know what I said. I know what the president said. That is where we were at the time. That is where the president was at the time,’ she argued. ‘I am his spokesperson.’
‘This weekend he thought about it, he wrestled with it, he wrestled with it and made this decision. That’s what I can tell the American people,’ she continued.
‘I think the American people understand and I think they understand how difficult this decision would be,’ Jean-Pierre added.
President Joe Biden (left) pardoned his son, Hunter Biden (right), on Sunday after repeatedly telling reporters that he would not do so
One journalist in the room asked if Biden’s pardon for Hunter made it easier for President-elect Donald Trump to come into office and pardon the January 6th rioters – as the Republican has pledged to do.
‘Look I’m not going to get into what the incoming administration is going to do or not do,’ the White House press secretary said.
Jean-Pierre was asked about other pardons too.
On Wednesday, Politico reported that White House aides were mulling whether Biden should give preemptive pardons to some of Trump’s top political enemies – with former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney, Dr. Anthony Fauci and Sen.-elect Adam Schifl mentioned – though Schiff said he’d rebuff the offer.
‘I’m not going to get ahead of the president,’ Jean-Pierre answered when asked about preemptive parons at the top of the briefing.
