Critics of Joe Biden‘s shock pardon of his son Hunter have noted a key detail that connects the reprieve to the younger Biden’s time on the board of Ukrainian gas company Burisma.
The bombshell U-turn decision to grant Hunter a pardon comes just weeks after The White House denied the president would make the drastic move in the final months of his lame duck presidency.
The document grants a full and unconditional pardon for Hunter’s potential crimes committed ‘from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024.’
This has led many to theorize that there is something lurking underneath the pardon which is meant to acquit Hunter Biden of charges that came to light in 2018.
‘Hunter Biden joined the board of Burisma in 2014,’ wrote conservative commentator Liz Wheeler. ‘By pardoning Hunter for any crimes he “may have committed” from 2014-2024, Joe Biden is protecting his family’s criminal cartel. Wow.’
She added that Biden is protecting his son from the possible new head of the FBI: ‘This pardon ain’t about the gun charge. The Big Guy is protecting himself from Kash Patel.’
Hunter referred to his father, Joe, as ‘the big guy’ in a 2017 email about a business deal that raked in millions for the Biden family and their cohorts.
‘Truly incredible that Joe Biden pardoned Hunter starting in 2014 — the year he was appointed a board member of Burisma,’ wrote Greg Price. ‘You can’t make it up.’
A White House official denied the pardon had anything to do with Trump’s announcement he will name Kash Patel to run the FBI and install other loyalists.
‘No – this is in response to what has already happened in this case, in which political pressure has resulted in a miscarriage of justice,’ said the official.
Hunter joined the board of Burisma in 2014 and was paid millions for his role in the company despite not having a background in the gas or energy industries.
Multiple accusations stem from Hunter’s behavior while on the board.
In 2023, DailyMail.com exclusively revealed the younger Biden helped coordinate a plan with Democrat strategists to ‘close down any cases’ against the owner of allegedly corrupt Ukrainian gas firm and ‘gain intelligence’ on the country’s top prosecutor’s office.
The emails bolster claims by ex-Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin that the First Son and his then-Vice President dad conspired to kill Shokin’s criminal investigation of Burisma.
On May 12, 2014, the day before Hunter’s $1million-per-year appointment to Burisma’s board was publicly announced, executive Vadym Pozharskyi emailed the then-VP’s son from his personal Gmail account.
Pozharskyi warned Hunter that the firm’s owner Mykola Zlochevsky was likely under criminal investigation in Ukraine.
Fox News broadcast an interview with Shokin, where he repeated his previous allegations that Joe Biden got him fired over his Burisma probe.
Earlier this year, it was revealed that Biden, while sitting on the board of Burisma, and then the sitting vice president’s son, wrote at least one letter to the U.S. ambassador to Italy, John R. Phillips, for help.
Hunter wanted to get in contact with the president of Tuscany, a region in central Italy where Burisma sought to arrange a geothermal energy venture, clearly working to forward the company’s interests in the area.
A White House spokesperson denied the president knew about the outreach his son made to the embassy in Italy.
However, conservatives jumped on the alleged attempts at influence peddling.
Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley similarly posted: ‘We learn this only after Joe Biden has been put out to pasture. Total coincidence, I’m sure.’
Another Senate Republican, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, wrote: ‘Not surprisingly, Burisma didn’t pay Hunter Biden $1 million/year for his oil-and-gas expertise.’
Some of those allegations, though probed by the House GOP and prosecutors over a period of years, did not result in charges. House Republicans also shelved their impeachment inquiry against the president.
Joe made the shock announcement Sunday night that he would issue a presidential pardon for his troubled son Hunter, calling his prosecution ‘selective’ and ‘unfair.’
‘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,’ Biden said in a statement.
The president claimed that people are ‘almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form.’
He then added: ‘It is clear that Hunter was treated differently.’
Biden raged against ‘several of my political opponents in Congress‘ who he claimed made the charges a public spectacle ‘to attack me and oppose my election.’
He added that the plea deal Hunter agreed to with the Department of Justice was a ‘fair, reasonable resolution of Hunter’s cases.’ But that deal fell through at the last minute under political pressure.
Hunter released a statement of his own, credited to his full name, ‘Robert Hunter Biden.’
‘I have admitted and taken responsibility for my mistakes during the darkest days of my addiction – mistakes that have been exploited to publicly humiliate and shame me and my family for political sport,’ he said.
‘Despite all of this, I have maintained my sobriety for more than five years because of my deep faith and the unwavering love and support of my family and friends.’
‘In the throes of addiction, I squandered many opportunities and advantages. In recovery we can be given the opportunity to make amends where possible and rebuild our lives if we never take for granted the mercy that we have been afforded.’
‘I will never take the clemency I have been given today for granted and will devote the life I have rebuilt to helping those who are still sick and suffering.’
The pardon will cover both the gun charges and Hunter’s guilty plea.
