CNN host Brianna Keilar asked Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman of New York Monday how he felt about past reassurances that President Joe Biden would not issue a pardon to his son Hunter Biden.
Biden announced the pardon in a statement released by the White House Sunday night, alleging that Hunter had been “singled out” while alleging “political opponents” were seeking to “break” both him and his son in the courts. Keilar asked Goldman about what Biden said before playing the clip.
“What does that feel like watching yourself back then reassuring people that Biden was not going to issue a pardon for his son?” Keilar asked Goldman, who had said he “did not think there was any chance” Biden would pardon his son.
“I think that if that plea agreement and that plea deal had gone through there would be no pardon. That was a satisfactory outcome,” Goldman said, prompting Keilar to press him about the timeline.
WATCH:
The plea bargain Hunter Biden reached with special counsel David Weiss collapsed after United States District Judge Maryellen Noreika questioned the arrangement during a July 26, 2023 hearing.
“I hear what you‘re saying about the Kash Patel appointment, but you know you took him at his word so what does that feel like, knowing that he’s gone back on it?” Keilar asked.
“Well, as I said, I’m disappointed that after the plea fell through and it became clear about why it did, including Republican congressional intervention in this case, which made this case very unique and very different from any other case, I think that we all, I think I should have as well recognized that this is not the normal prosecution,” Goldman said. “I said many times that if Hunter Biden were not Hunter Biden, he would never be charged with these crimes and when you start to see what Donald Trump is planning to do with his Department of Justice and with his FBI and the degree to which Hunter Biden has already been shamelessly attacked as a private citizen by Republicans, I certainly understand why the president felt like this miscarriage of justice should not carry forward, and that he should not be at risk of retributive prosecution for political reasons, which is not the proper way to execute our rule of law.”
A jury in Delaware convicted Hunter Biden in June on three felony gun charges in connection with the 2018 purchase of a Colt .38-caliber revolver. The president’s son entered a guilty plea on federal tax charges in September in a federal court in California.
President-elect Donald Trump said during an Oct. 24 interview with Hugh Hewitt that he was open to pardoning Hunter Biden.
Featured Image Credit: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America
