Former President Joe Biden shocked Justice Department officials and appalled some of his staunchest defenders when he announced he was granting his son Hunter a full and unconditional pardon, according to a new book.
After pushing back for several years on President Donald Trump's insistence that the legal system had been weaponized, Biden stunningly agreed.
"Enough is enough," the former president said shortly after Thanksgiving last year, according to "2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America."
"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."
Biden pardoned his son, sparing Hunter a possible prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions and reversing his past promises not to use the extraordinary powers of the presidency for the benefit of his family members.
On his last day in office, Biden issued preemptive pardons for his family members, including his two brothers and sister.
The Wall Street Journal on Thursday published a book excerpt about how Hunter Biden's legal issues affected then-President Joe Biden.
Joe Biden was pushed off the Democrats' 2024 national ticket after his disastrous debate performance against Trump that June, 16 days after Hunter Biden was convicted of three felony charges related to the purchase of a revolver in 2018 when, prosecutors argued, the president's son lied on a mandatory gun purchase form by saying he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs.
The book, written by Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager, and Isaac Arnsdorf, blames Joe Biden's demise partly on his son's problems.
"Beyond the danger to Hunter's liberty, the trial was sure to embarrass the Biden family, airing sordid secrets from the painful years after Hunter's brother Beau Biden died of cancer," the book says.
"Much of the public was unaware of the depths of turmoil within the Biden family — affairs, addiction, alcoholism — and now it would all spill out, five months before the election."
At the time, Hunter also was being investigated for influence peddling during foreign business dealings; a child support case over a child he fathered with an Arkansas woman; and the sales of his paintings, which a New York gallerist was listing for $75,000 to $500,000 apiece.
"For Joe Biden, his son's trial was devastating. He was convinced that Republicans' goal was to break Hunter psychologically so that he would relapse and start using drugs and alcohol again," the book claims.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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