CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins called President Joe Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter Biden a “political timebomb” that left Dems in “the blast radius” — and pointed out his hypocrisy after years of claiming he would respect the Justice Department’s rulings.
The Democratic president late Sunday pardoned Hunter, who was convicted of federal gun and tax evasion charges earlier this year, after repeatedly denying he would use his pardoning powers for his 54-year-old son.
“With 50 days left in his presidency, Joe Biden just set off a political timebomb before leaving for Africa today, and leaving his party behind to deal with the blast radius,” Collins said Monday night during “The Source with Kaitlan Collins.”
Collins pointed out how Biden went back on his word, since he repeatedly said he would not pardon Hunter to prove that no one is above the law – an attempt to contrast himself with Trump.
In a statement released Sunday, Biden said his son’s prosecution was unfair and politically motivated.
“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,” Biden said in the statement. “Raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice.”
The statement “at times sounded like something Trump himself could have posted on Truth Social,” Collins said
In a clip played during Collins’ show, Biden said he was committed to reinstating the Justice Department’s reputation and integrity after it had been “corrupted” under Trump.
“I did not, have not and will not pick up the phone and call the attorney general and tell him what he should or should not do in terms of who he should prosecute,” Biden said in 2021 during a town hall. His promise was met with resounding applause.
In another clip, this time from a June interview with ABC’s David Muir, Biden vowed to abide by the jury’s decision and said he had ruled out a pardon.
Most recently, a few days after Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in November, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded to reporters’ questions about a possible pardon: “We’ve been asked that question multiple times. Our answer stands, which is no.”
In June, Hunter was convicted in Delaware federal court of three felonies for purchasing a gun in 2018 after prosecutors say he lied on a federal form by claiming he was not using or addicted to drugs.
Hunter had been set to take the stand in a California trial in September over claims he failed to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes, but he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor and felony charges in a surprise last-minute move as jury selection was set to begin.
“Rarely, if ever, have we heard from both Biden and Trump on the same page about anything,” Collins said. “But now, it’s in print – their mutual anger at the Justice Department,” Collins said.