The White House firmly ruled out the possibility of a presidential pardon for Hunter Biden on Thursday, one day after a federal judge rejected a plea deal for the son of President Joe Biden over felony tax and gun charges.
“No,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a press briefing when asked if Hunter Biden could receive a pardon. When a reporter attempted to follow up, Jean-Pierre curtly responded, “I just said no.”
The press secretary declined to answer when asked if the president had spoken to Hunter Biden since the prospective plea deal fell apart Wednesday. Under the agreement, Biden would have pleaded guilty to two tax charges and faced a sentence of probation. He would’ve separately entered a pretrial diversion program rather than face a charge of illegally possessing a gun while using illegal drugs.
All three charges are felonies.
An initial deal collapsed amid disputes over whether Hunter Biden could face additional charges related to lobbying for foreign entities, and a revised plea agreement was rejected by U.S. District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika, an appointee of former President Donald Trump.
For now, Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty on the two tax charges.
The Justice Department began investigating Hunter Biden in 2018, and Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss has been allowed to stay on the job under the Biden administration to finish the investigation.
Two whistleblowers with the IRS have alleged that there was political interference with the Hunter Biden probe, saying Weiss told them that Justice Department officials blocked him from bringing charges against the president’s son in jurisdictions beyond Delaware. Weiss has denied those allegations.