Sa kabila ng paulit-ulit na pahayag noon na hindi pakikialaman ni U.S. President Joe Biden ang kaso ng kaniyang anak na si Hunter, ngayon, inihayag ng outgoing president na pinirmahan niya ang dokumento na nagbibigay ng pardon sa kaniyang anak nitong Linggo.
"Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter. From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted," saad sa inilabas na pahayag ng White House, batay sa ulat ng Reuters.
Hinatulang guilty si Hunter dahil sa paggawa ng maling pahayag sa background check para sa baril, ilegal na pag-aari ng isang armas, at pag-amin sa mga kasong pederal na may kinalaman sa buwis.
Dati nang sinabi ng White House na hindi bibigyan ni Biden ng pardon at babawasan ang sintensiya kay Hunter, na dating nalulong sa ilegal na droga at naging target ng mga pag-atake ng mga Republican, kabilang na si President-elect Donald Trump, na papalit sa nakatatandang Biden sa White House sa darating na Enero.
"No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son," ayon sa outgoing president.
"There has been an effort to break Hunter – who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me – and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough," patuloy ng pangulo.
Sinabi ni Biden na ginawa niya ang desisyon sa pagbibigay ng pardon sa anak nitong weekend.
Kasama umano ng pangulo ang kaniyang asawa, at pamilya, kabilang na si Hunter sa kanilang Thanksgiving holiday sa Nantucket, Massachusetts, at bumalik siya sa Washington noong Sabado ng gabi.
"Here’s the truth: I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice – and once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further," paliwanag ni Biden.
"I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision," dagdag niya — mula sa ulat ng Reuters/FRJ, GMA Integrated News
