The MeidasTouch Podcast
BREAKING: President Biden Announces Major Pardon Sunday Night
Mon, 02 Dec 2024
MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on President Biden pardoning his son Hunter Biden in connection with two federal criminal cases. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chapter 1: What did President Biden announce regarding Hunter Biden?
President Biden has just announced that he will be pardoning his son Hunter Biden arising out of the two federal criminal prosecutions from a Republican appointed special counsel. Let me read for you President Biden's statement where he just announced moments ago that he will be pardoning his son Hunter Biden. Here's what it said. Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter.
Chapter 2: What reasons did President Biden give for the pardon?
From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department's decision making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively and unfairly prosecuted. Without aggravating factors like use in a crime, multiple purchases,
Chapter 3: How was Hunter Biden treated differently in his legal cases?
or buying a weapon as a straw purchaser, people are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form. Those who were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions but paid them back subsequently with interest and penalties are typically given non-criminal resolutions. It is clear that Hunter was treated differently.
Chapter 4: What were the implications of the plea deal for Hunter Biden?
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. Then a carefully negotiated plea deal agreed to by the Department of Justice unraveled in the courtroom with a number of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure on the process.
Had the plea deal held, it would have been a fair, reasonable resolution of Hunter's cases. No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter's cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son and that is wrong.
There has been an effort to break Hunter, who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to break Hunter, they've tried to break me, and there's no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough. For my entire career, I have followed a simple principle. Just tell the American people the truth. They'll be fair-minded."
Here's the truth. I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice. And once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further. I hope Americans will understand why a father and a president would come to this decision.
Chapter 5: What claims have been made about political interference in Hunter Biden's case?
And this follows President Biden previously stating that he was not inclined to issue a pardon for Hunter Biden. Now, President Biden has issued a formal pardon to Hunter Biden on two federal criminal prosecutions, one arising out of Hunter Biden checking a box that he was not under the influence of drugs,
in connection with the purchase of a firearm, a criminal prosecution that, frankly, has never been done before on anyone in a similar situation. The other for paying back his taxes late. Again, another prosecution that has never been done before. President Biden announcing that he is formally pardoning Hunter Biden.
Chapter 6: What did Hunter Biden say about the accusations against him?
I'll remind you when Hunter Biden showed up at the MAGA Republican hearing in Congress and he was prepared to testify. He just wanted to do it publicly. The MAGA Republicans refused to have a public hearing requesting that it be done via private deposition, which later occurred. This is when Hunter Biden approached the hearing and said, let's do this in public. Remember this moment?
Chapter 7: What happened during Hunter Biden's testimony at the hearing?
Let's play this clip.
James Comer, Jim Jordan, Jason Smith, and their colleagues have distorted the facts by cherry picking lines from a bank statement, manipulating texts I sent, editing the testimony of my friends and former business partners, and misstating personal information that was stolen from me. There is no fairness or decency in what these Republicans are doing.
They have lied over and over about every aspect of my personal and professional life, so much so that their lies have become the false facts believed by too many people. No matter how many times it is debunked, they continue to insist that my father's support of Ukraine against Russia is the result of a non-existent bribe. They displayed naked photos of me during an oversight hearing.
And they have taken the light of my dad's love, the light of my dad's love for me and presented it as darkness. They have no shame. These same committee chairmen have engaged in unprecedented political interference in what would have already been a five-year investigation of me.
Yet, here I am, Mr. Chairman, taking up your offer when you said we can bring these people in for depositions or committee hearings, whichever they choose. Well, I've chosen. I am here to testify at a public hearing today to answer any of the committee's legitimate questions. Republicans do not want
an open process where Americans can see their tactics, expose their baseless inquiry, or hear what I have to say.
And I'm sure you may also remember where Democratic Congress member Jared Moskowitz asked his Republican colleagues to give a show of hands who wanted to hear from Hunter Biden right now during the hearing where they simply wanted to engage in the performative mocking of Hunter Biden. Here, play this clip.
And the chairman gave the witness that option then the only folks that are afraid to hear from the witness with the American people watching are my friends on the other side of the aisle. I don't know if there's a proper motion, Mr. Chairman, but I'll make a motion. Let's vote. Let's take a vote. Who wants to hear from Hunter right now today? Anyone? Come on. Who wants to hear from Hunter? No one.
So I'm a visual learner. And the visual is clear. Nobody over there wants to hear from the witness. Oh, there's one. Thank you.
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