Bob Woodward predicted President Joe Biden will pardon his son Hunter despite the White House repeatedly saying that will not be the case.
But questions remain of what the future holds for the former drug addict first son, who is facing jail when he is sentenced for gun and tax fraud claims next month.
There will also be only a few months for the 54-year-old’s father to decide whether he gives him a pardon.
Woodward, citing reporting he did for his book ‘War,’ said ‘ the issue of Hunter Biden is just ripping Joe Biden’s heart out, and it is something he talks about with close friends.’
‘He worries about, where is this going to go? He has said he would not pardon him. There are a couple of trials coming up. Quite frankly, I know enough about Biden I don’t believe that. I think he will pardon his son,’ the Washington Post journalist told The Late Show’s Stephen Colbert.
In June, Hunter Biden was convicted of three felony charges related to the purchase of a revolver in 2018. Then, in September, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to nine charges in a federal tax case.
President Joe Biden has said repeatedly he will not pardon son Hunter Biden but many think he may end up doing so before his presidency ends
President Biden is said to be deeply worried about his son and fears Hunter may relapse into a drug addiction under the pressure.
He has repeatedly said he won’t pardon his son or commute his sentence.
But Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution gives the president the blanket power to pardon any federal crime.
Jeffrey Crouch, a professor at American University who is an expert on the pardon process, noted a president can ‘use the clemency power whenever he would like, and as often as he would like.’
The only real consequence – if Biden opts to give his son a pardon – would be that it becomes a stain on his legacy.
Voters could also punish the Democratic Party at the voting booth in the next election.
‘The president may also incur consequences come election season when they, or at least, their political party may face punishment from the voters. And, the president always needs to keep their legacy in mind,’ Crouch said.
Additionally, Donald Trump hasn’t ruled out pardoning Hunter if he wins a second term in the White House.
‘I wouldn’t take it off the books,’ he told radio host Hugh Hewitt. ‘See, unlike Joe Biden, despite what they’ve done to me, where they’ve gone after me so viciously, despite what, and Hunter’s a bad boy. There’s no question about it. He’s been a bad boy.’
Other presidents have issued controversial pardons – usually in the final days of their presidency.
In 1974, President Gerald Ford pardoned his predecessor Richard Nixon for any crimes he had ‘committed or may have committed’ in the Watergate scandal. This was the first pre-emptive pardon by a president.
In 2001, President Bill Clinton pardoned 140 people on his last day in office including billionaire Marc Rich, who had been a fugitive for decades for fraud related to making illegal oil deals and not paying more than $48 million in taxes.
It resulted in a federal investigation into donations made to the Clintons by Rich’s ex-wife. But the investigation didn’t discover enough evidence to indict Clinton.
Clinton also pardoned his half-brother Roger Clinton, who had been convicted of drug charges.
In the last 12 hours of his presidency, Donald Trump pardoned and commuted the sentences of 144 people, including former advisors Stephen Bannon and Roger Stone. He also pardoned Charles Kushner – the father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner – and the rapper Lil Wayne.
Hunter Biden leaves a Delaware courthouse with his wife Melissa Cohen Biden and mom Jill Biden after the jury found him guilty on all three counts in his trial on criminal gun charges
After the verdict, President Joe Biden flew to Wilmington so he could hug his son Hunter
Joe Biden has expressed regret and frustration with his son’s legal cases.
He also said he regretted picking Merrick Garland as his attorney general, Woodward reported in his book ‘War,’ writing the president was angry about the prosecution of his son.
David Weiss, the special counsel who brought both cases against Hunter, said he prosecuted the president’s son to show that nobody ‘is above the law.’
Hunter Biden is scheduled to be sentenced in the Delaware gun case on December 13, and on December 16 in the California tax case.
That is a month after the 2024 election.
Hunter expressed his fear of the ‘end of America’ if Trump is elected president again.
‘A second Donald Trump presidency is potentially the end of America as we’ve known it,’ the president’s son said to Politico in an interview this month.
He said that his greatest worry was ‘losing our democracy to a fascist minority,’ suggesting that he feared the verdict of the electoral college on who should be elected president.
Hunter Biden also accused Trump of ‘lies, fear-mongering and disinformation.’
‘It’s easier to scare people with lies than educate them with the truth. It’s faster. It sticks to your marrow,’ he said.
President Biden could pardon or commute his son’s sentences anytime before he leaves office on January 20, 2025.
Friends of the family have questioned if the president will keep his promise not to pardon given his worries about Hunter’s mental state and the fact that, since he’s not running for a second term, there is essentially no political danger to him.
Additionally, Donald Trump promised to prosecute his political enemies if he wins the election and Hunter would be a top target. A blanket pardon from President Biden would protect his son from any action by Trump.
In the June gun purchase case, jurors found Hunter Biden guilty of lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making a false claim on the application by saying he was not a drug user, and illegally having the gun for 11 days.
Hunter faces up to 25 years in prison although as a first-time offender he would not get anywhere near the maximum, and there’s no guarantee the judge would send him to jail.
In the September tax case, Hunter could face up to 17 years in prison for his crimes, which include tax evasion, filing fraudulent tax returns, and failing to pay taxes. The judge also could impose a hefty fine, perhaps as much as $1.3 million.
The judges in both cases were appointed by President Trump.
Hunter is a first-time offender. He has been sober for years and paid his taxes and fines, although that money was provided by a wealthy friend.
President Biden is known to be torn up about the situation.
Hours after Hunter’s conviction in June in the Delaware gun case, President Biden flew to Wilmington to spend the night with his family before leaving for the G7 summit in Italy.
And he also got a few minutes with his son on the tarmac, hugging him in full view of the cameras.
