CNN’s Kaitlan Collins calls Hunter Biden pardon a ‘political time bomb’ that left Democrats in ‘blast radius’

CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins called President Joe Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter Biden a “political time bomb” that left Democrats in the “explosion zone” — and pointed out his hypocrisy after years of claiming that would respect the decisions of the Department of Justice.

The Democratic president late Sunday pardoned Hunter, who was convicted of federal gun and tax evasion charges earlier this year, after repeatedly denying he would use his pardon powers for his 54-year-old son.

“With 50 days left in his presidency, Joe Biden just set off a political time bomb before he left for Africa today, leaving his party behind to deal with the blast radius,” Collins said. Monday night during “The Source with Kaitlan Collins.”

Collins noted how Biden went back on his word as he repeatedly said he would not pardon Hunter to prove that no one is above the law — an attempt to contrast himself with Trump.

In a statement released Sunday, Biden said his son’s prosecution was unfair and politically motivated.

“The charges in his cases came only after some of my political opponents in Congress incited them to attack me and oppose my election,” Biden said in the statement. “Crude politics has infected this process and led to a miscarriage of justice.”

The statement “at times seemed like something Trump himself might have posted on Truth Social,” Collins said

In a clip played during Collins’ show, Biden said he was committed to restoring the reputation and integrity of the Justice Department after it had been “corrupted” under Trump.

“I have not, have not and will not pick up the phone and call the attorney general and tell him what he should or shouldn’t do about who he should prosecute,” Biden said in 2021. during a town hall. His promise was met with loud applause.

In another video, this time from a June interview with ABC’s David Muir, Biden vowed to stand by the jury’s decision and said he had ruled out an apology.

Most recently, a few days after Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in November, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded to reporters’ questions about a possible apology: “We’ve been asked this question many times. Our answer stands, which is no.”

In June, Hunter was convicted in Delaware federal court of three felonies for purchasing a gun in 2018 after prosecutors said he lied on a federal form claiming he did not use or was addicted to drugs.

Hunter was set to take the stand in a California trial in September over allegations he failed to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes, but he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor and felony charges in a surprise last-minute move as the selectman jury duty would begin. .

“Rarely, if ever, have we heard from Biden and Trump on the same page about anything,” Collins said. “But now, it’s in the press — their mutual anger at the Justice Department,” Collins said.