'It's still no': KJP says Joe Biden has not changed his mind about pardoning son in tax case
The White House suggested Thursday President Biden will not pardon his son after Hunter Biden's attorneys indicated that he intends to change his plea in the federal tax case against him.
"It's no, it's still no," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Thursday when they questioned whether the plea had affected President Biden's decision on whether he would consider a pardon for his son. "I'm not able to comment on it, but I can say that it is still very much a 'no' to the questions I have gotten about if the president is going to pardon [Hunter]."
Hunter Biden's attorney, Abbe Lowell, made the announcement about the plea Thursday in court, the same day jury selection was slated to begin for an expected trial.
The expected guilty plea will spare the president's son from a public trial over his alleged failure to pay taxes while he spent lavishly on drugs, escorts, luxury hotel stays, clothing and other personal items, according to prosecutors.
The reversal came as a surprise to prosecutors. According to NBC News, it followed a private meeting Thursday between Hunter Biden's attorneys and the presiding judge, Mark Scarsi.
The conditions of Hunter Biden's proposed plea were not immediately disclosed, nor was any indication on whether Scarsi plans to accept the plea.
Hunter Biden's reversal comes after he was convicted of three felony gun charges in June. The first son, according to prosecutors, lied on a mandatory gun purchase form by saying he was not illegally using, or addicted to drugs. Following the conviction, President Biden indicated that he did not plan to pardon his son. Hunter Biden is scheduled to be sentenced for the gun charges on Nov. 12.
The president's son was indicted in December on three felony and six misdemeanor counts alleging that he evaded paying at least $1.4 million in taxes while he was simultaneously spending money on "drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels and rental properties, exotic cars, clothing, and other items of a personal nature, in short, everything but his taxes," according to the December indictment.
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Prosecutors also allege that the tax returns Hunter Biden ultimately did file, falsely claimed that things like prostitutes, strip club visits, porn website subscriptions, a sex club membership and other personal expenses were actually deductible business expenses. The aim, according to the indictment, was to "evade assessment of taxes to reduce the substantial tax liabilities" that Hunter Biden faced.