'Miscarriage of justice...': Trump slams Biden for pardoning son
What's the story
United States President-elect Donald Trump has slammed outgoing President Joe Biden for pardoning his son, Hunter Biden.
The younger Biden was convicted on charges of gun crimes and tax violations. The pardon guarantees he won't be sentenced for the crimes and eliminates the possibility of prison time.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump termed the pardon a "miscarriage of justice."
Pardon query
Trump questions scope of Biden's pardon
Trump also questioned if the pardon applied to those jailed for their involvement in the January 6, 2021 Capitol Hill riots. He called them "J-6 Hostages."
Speculation is rife that Trump could issue pardons for them once he is back in office.
Pardon defense
Biden defends decision to pardon son
Defending his decision to pardon his son, President Biden argued that similar cases involving tax issues due to addiction usually end up in non-criminal resolutions.
He said Hunter was treated differently and unfairly prosecuted without aggravating factors like using a weapon in a crime or multiple purchases.
"It is clear that Hunter was treated differently," the statement read.
Political influence
Biden accuses political opponents of influencing legal process
Biden insisted he didn't meddle with the Justice Department's decision-making but felt political opponents swayed the legal process against his son.
He said charges were brought forward after political pressure from Congress and a plea deal with the Department of Justice fell through because of this pressure.
"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," he said.