Biden pardons 'illegal firearms, tax evasion' second son...Trump "abuse of amnesty rights"

[Anchor]
U.S. President Joe Biden, whose term is nearing its end, has pardoned his second son, who was convicted of illegal firearms and tax evasion.

President-elect Donald Trump lashed out at the abuse of pardon power.

Reporter Shin Woong-jin's report.

[Reporter]
President Biden has repeatedly vowed not to exercise his pardon power for his family.

However, about a month before he left office, he reversed this.

Biden said in a statement that the criminal prosecution of his son Hunter was politically motivated and that he "would like the people to understand why, as a father and as president, we are making this decision."

Hunter Biden was convicted in June this year of purchasing and possessing a firearm while hiding his drug addiction in Delaware.

California also pleaded guilty to $1.4 million in tax evasion.

The maximum sentences for each are 25 and 17 years.

Trump strongly criticized Biden on social media, saying, "Does the pardon he gave Hunter include 'J-6 hostages'?"

He has called supporters jailed for participating in the January 6, 2021, parliamentary riots in defiance of the results of the presidential election "J-6 hostages" and signaled several pardons.

Trump also pardoned 29 of his aides, including his in-laws, at the end of his term.

[Eric Tucker / AP Reporter: This is not the first time a president has used a pardon power for those around him. You may remember that in December 2020, then-President Donald Trump pardoned the father of his son-in-law, Kushner.]

The media took note of Biden's mouth after the announcement of the statement, but went on a trip to Angola on a private jet without saying anything.

I'm YTN's Shin Woongjin.



Video editing Lim Hyun-chul