Back when Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden in a blanket federal pardon for every federal crime Hunter committed in the past decade, CBS investigative reporter and journalist Catherine Herridge identified a serious flaw with the pardon and its reasoning, something that could potentially cause trouble for the Bidens further down the road.
As background, the sweeping pardon includes all offenses, but focuses mainly on the two big issues Hunter has faced, which were the felony tax evasion and gun charges. Ostensibly, both charges came about as a result of his habitual drug use. The firearm charge came when he lied about being addicted to narcotics when purchasing a handgun, and the tax charge came from non-payment of income tax. He claims that he didn’t pay because of his drug addiction, and that is part of the justification for Biden’s pardon, but as Herridge and others noted, there’s evidence that Hunter was not addicted at the time he didn’t pay his taxes.
The relevant portion of the pardon, for reference, provided, “Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter. 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, 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.”
The president continued, “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.” He added, “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.”
Catherine Herridge disagreed, in so doing highlighting the concerns raised by IRS whistleblowers Joseph Ziegler and Gary Shapley. Those agents, who previously testified to Congress about what they saw as and alleged to be potentially serious misconduct in the DOJ’s handling of the investigation into Hunter Biden, said the sweeping pardon an affront to ordinary Americans who face severe penalties for similar offenses.
Herridge posted about that inconsistency on X (formerly Twitter). Introducing the issue, she noted that the statement issued by Biden is incorrect, or at least appears to be. She said, “Hunter Biden Pardon: The accuracy of the White House statement is questionable, based on our recent reporting with IRS whistleblower and Hunter Biden case agent Joseph Ziegler.”
Quoting herself as asking one of the whistleblowers about the matter, she wrote, “Herridge: What do you think the biggest misconception is about the Hunter Biden case?” She then wrote, “ZIEGLER: ‘That he committed this felony tax conduct while he was high on drugs and he was out of his mind and he wasn’t, not true. He actually filed these false tax returns when he admitted in his book that he was newly sober.’”