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The federal judge overseeing Hunter Biden’s tax case has criticized President Biden’s claims of unfair prosecution against his son.
Let’s bring you up to speed: Last Sunday, President Biden announced he was granting a full and unconditional pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, reversing his earlier stance that he would not intervene in his son’s criminal cases. Hunter had faced nine federal tax charges, including evading at least $1.4 million in taxes from 2016 to 2019 and a separate conviction on federal gun charges. Initially, President Biden had vowed to let the justice system proceed independently, but he justified the pardon by citing what he described as a politically motivated prosecution of his son. Biden argued that Hunter was unfairly singled out due to his connection to him, framing the pardon as a decision motivated by both his role as a father and his belief in addressing an injustice. The pardon covers Hunter for any federal crimes he committed (or may have committed) between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024.
What the judge is saying: Judge Mark Scarsi, overseeing Hunter Biden’s criminal case, criticized President Biden’s accusations that the charges against his son were politically motivated. He said there has never “been any evidence of vindictive or selective prosecution in this case.” He continued, “In total, eleven (11) different Article III judges appointed by six (6) different presidents, including his father, considered and rejected the defendant’s claims, including his claims for selective and vindictive prosecution.”
Judge Scarsi added, “According to the President, ‘[n]o reasonable person who looks at the facts of [Mr. Biden’s] cases can reach any other conclusion than [Mr. Biden] was singled out only because he is [the President’s] son. But two federal judges expressly rejected Mr. Biden’s arguments that the Government prosecuted Mr. Biden because of his familial relation to the President. And the President’s own Attorney General and Department of Justice personnel oversaw the investigation leading to the charges. In the President’s estimation, this legion of federal civil servants, the undersigned included, are unreasonable people.”
This all comes as President Biden has received backlash from both sides of the political aisle over his decision to pardon his son. Prominent Democratic figures, including Colorado Governor Jared Polis, have expressed concern about the pardon’s potential to erode public trust, with Polis warning that it sets a precedent for presidential involvement in family-related legal matters. Republicans have been even more vocal, accusing Biden of using his office to shield his son from accountability and undermining the justice system’s credibility.
