Judge Mark C. Scalsi, a Trump appointee, criticized President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter Biden in a filing Tuesday, saying the president has broad authority to “rewrite history.” He said he could not.
Biden released a statement Sunday night announcing the pardon for the Hunter Biden case, saying that a “rational” person reviewing the facts of the case would believe that his son was targeted because of his ties to the president. He argued that it would be concluded that In a filing Tuesday night, Scalsi, who handled Hunter’s federal tax case in California, criticized the president for misrepresenting the facts in his statement. (Related: President Obama’s aide slams Biden as a ‘tragic figure’, says his ego always gets in the way)
“According to the President,”[n]o A rational person who considers the facts. [Mr. Biden’s] In some cases, other conclusions may be reached. [Mr. Biden] He was chosen simply because he is. [the President’s] son. ‘However, two federal judges specifically rejected Mr. Biden’s argument that the government prosecuted him because of his family ties to the president,’ Scalsi wrote.
read:
A U.S. district judge said no reasonable person considering the case could reach any conclusion other than that Hunter was targeted because he is the president’s son. , noting that a federal judge and Mr. Biden’s own Justice Department have rejected that argument. pic.twitter.com/vdxX9YDXyr
— Jerry Dunleavy IV 🇺🇸 (@JerryDunleavy) December 4, 2024
“And the President’s own Attorney General and Justice Department staff oversaw the investigation that led to the charges. In the President’s assessment, this corps of federal civil servants, including the undersigned, are unreasonable people.” Scalci said. “In short, a press release is not a pardon. The Constitution gives the President broad authority to grant reprieves and pardons for crimes against the United States. Art. II, § 2, cl. But nowhere in the Constitution does the President have the history You are not authorized to rewrite it.”
Hunter pleaded guilty in September to federal tax charges in a California case for allegedly failing to pay an estimated $1.4 million in taxes and filing false tax documents. Scalsi initially accepted the plea and scheduled Hunter’s sentencing for Dec. 16, but a recent ruling canceled the sentencing hearing but suspended the lawsuit until Biden officially signs the pardon. He said he would not end it.
Since Biden announced he would pardon his son, the president has faced significant backlash from experts and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, as Biden and his staff have repeatedly denied pardoning Hunter.
All content produced by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent, nonpartisan news distribution service, is available free of charge to legitimate news publishers with large audiences. All republished articles must include our logo, reporter byline, and DCNF affiliation. If you have any questions about our guidelines or our partnership, please contact us at licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
