Logan Church: US correspondent on Joe Biden signing a pardon for Hunter Biden

Joe Biden has signed a pardon for his son - Hunter Biden - due to be sentenced this month on gun crime and tax convictions.

The US President previously said he wouldn't pardon him, but now says his son was selectively and unfairly prosecuted.

US correspondent Logan Church says this news comes as a shock to everyone - given how Biden was originally opposed to the pardon. 

"For all of Joe Biden's re-election campaign - and after he stepped aside in support of Kamala Harris - he vowed that he would not pardon his son at all. It appeared like a political strategy more than anything else."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Ninety two. Ninety two is the text number. Don't forget
standard text costs a player. You can email me as well.
Jack at Newstalk that News Talk saidb dot co dot nz.
Let me know your thoughts on that right now. To
eleven past four and US President Joe Biden has pardoned
his son Hunter, who was set to be sentenced for
gun and tax convictions. In a statement, the President said
that Hunter had been unfairly singled out and prosecuted because

(00:23):
of his family name. But it is a bit of
a U turn, to say the least. Here's what Joe
Biden said back in June. I am satisfied that I'm
not going to do anything shadowed by the jury decision.
I will do that and I will not partner him.
Logan Church is TVNZ's US correspondent, and he joins us
now I will not pardon him. Those were the words

(00:45):
of Joe Biden. Why has he changed his mind?

Speaker 2 (00:49):
Oh, Jacket's certainly a recap. Certainly a U turn, isn't this?
I mean, just for a very quick recap for those
who haven't been following this case Hunter Biden. Of course,
Joe Biden's son had been charged and convicted for crime
releasing to illegally buying a gun and tanks avoidance. This
all came to a headering a trial earlier this year
in Delaware that exposed a loss of Hunter Biden's past

(01:09):
in regards to drug abuse and family dysfunction, a lot
of what he's talked about in his memoir, and he
was due to be sentenced actually this month. Now. In America,
of course, the president has the power to parson people
for crimes and for all of Joe Biden's reelection campaign,
and after he stepped aside and supported Kamala Harris, he
vowed that he would not use that to cardon his

(01:32):
son as all. And it appeared like a political strategy
more than anything else. Now for context, at the same time,
Donald Trump was accusing Biden of weaponizing the justice system
against him. So no pardon four Hunter until today. Now,
this pardon covers any potential federal crimes that Hunter Biden
committed from January first, twenty fourteen, through to December first,

(01:54):
twenty twenty four And this news kind of coming, as
you say, is a shot to everyone.

Speaker 1 (01:59):
Yeah, it's interesting, isn't it. It says to me that
Joe Biden just doesn't care anymore. He doesn't have another
election campaign to fight. Logan, he doesn't give a tass.
He feels like he's been let down by his Democrat colleagues.
He knows that his legacy has already been tainted by
Trump's reelection. But is there any real meat on the
bone when it comes to his argument around this being
a travesty of justice?

Speaker 2 (02:19):
Well, this is a Sunday night here, and Joe Biden
did put out a statement to try and explain that
of his thinking behind this. So he said in that
as you say, that he issued the barden because his
son was, in quoting here, selectively and unfairly prosecuted, and
that he believed Huns was treated differently from people who
committed similar crimes. Now. President Biden also said that his

(02:40):
political opponents in Congress instigates of the charges to attack
him and oppose his re election. And I'm going to
quot him again here. I believe in the justice system,
he says that I have wrestled with this. I also
believe raw politics has infected this process and it has
led to a miscarriage of justice. I hope Americans will
understand why a father and the president would come to

(03:01):
this decision. But we really need to take a giant
step back here and surveyed a tumultuous terrain that has
been the Joe Biden presidency. Because it's worth noting that
this is not the first time that Joe Biden has
I would generally use this description, changed his mind on
big issues. So remember when he said that he would
be a transitional president to hand the torch to the

(03:22):
next generation and then totally backtracked on bass and ran anyway. Well,
today Joe Biden has once again backtracked on months of
very clear and strong messaging that he wouldn't pardon his son.
He laid down all of those arguments in the Statesman's
Will it convince the American people? Well, you can imagine
how the Trump camp has reacted this evening, many of

(03:42):
them coming out strongly accusing the current president of lying.
But it's certainly the end of another unprecedented chapter in
this a quite bizarre time in American politicans.

Speaker 1 (03:52):
Yeah, crazy times. Thanks Logan, appreciate it. That's TV and
z's US correspondent Logan Church.

Speaker 2 (03:58):
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