Trump calls Biden pardoning son Hunter a 'miscarriage of justice'
President-elect Donald Trump has reacted to President Joe Biden issuing a pardon for his son, Hunter Biden, from a possible prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions.
Trump called the president's decision a "miscarriage of justice" while pointing to those imprisoned for the Jan. 6 riots on the Capitol in his post to Truth Social on Sunday.
"Does the Pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years? Such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!" Trump wrote.
Trump's reaction Sunday comes months after he signaled a Hunter Biden pardon would be something worth considering if he returned to the White House for a second term.
During an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt in October, the president-elect said he "wouldn't take it off the books" when asked about pardoning the sitting president's son.
"See, unlike Joe Biden, despite what they've done to me, where they've gone after me so viciously... and Hunter's a bad boy. There's no question about it. He's been a bad boy. All you had to do is see the laptop from hell," he said.
"But I happen to think it's very bad for our country," Trump added.
In pardoning his son, President Biden spared Hunter the possibility of significant prison time stemming from convictions in two federal cases brought by Special Counsel David Weiss.
Over the summer, a jury found Hunter Biden guilty on three felony counts related to his purchase and possession of a firearm while addicted to drugs.
And in September, he agreed to plead guilty to nine tax-related charges, including three felonies, on the eve of what was expected to be a lengthy and grueling trial.
For the tax charges, Hunter Biden faced up to 17 years in federal prison and $1.35 million in fines. His gun-related conviction carried a potential of up to 25 years in prison. He was scheduled to face sentencing for both cases in the coming weeks – on Dec. 12 on the gun-related charges in Delaware, and Dec. 16 on the tax charges in California.
Trump's reaction to President Biden's decision to pardon his son comes weeks after the two met in the Oval Office to call for a "smooth" transfer of power when Trump returns to the White House in January.
The two presidents, seated by a roaring fire, shook hands in front of reporters and news cameras on Nov. 13.
"Politics is tough, and it's, in many cases, not a very nice world but it is a nice world today," Trump said at the time. "And I appreciate it very much. A transition that's so smooth, it'll be as smooth as it can get, and I very much appreciate that, Joe."
ABC News' Lalee Ibssa, Kelsey Walsh and Soo Rin Kim contributed to this report.
