The White House has defended President Joe Biden’s pardon of his son, Hunter, after repeatedly insisting he had no plans to grant such executive clemency.
The press secretary said Biden had pardoned his son, who was facing sentencing later this month in two federal cases, to shield him from potential persecution by the outgoing president’s political foes.
The sweeping pardon covers any potential federal crimes that 54-year-old Hunter may have committed over the course of a decade.
Republicans have lambasted the move, with President-elect Donald Trump calling it “an abuse and miscarriage of justice”.
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Monday that Biden had “wrestled” over the decision during the family’s Thanksgiving break on the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts, at the weekend.
The Democratic president issued the pardon on Sunday evening before heading off on an official trip to Africa.