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By Matthew Impelli
Life & Trends Reporter
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U.S. President Joe Biden appeared to ignore questions on Tuesday regarding the recent pardon of his son Hunter Biden.
Biden Avoids Questions
During a Tuesday meeting at the presidential palace with Angolan President João Lourenço, Biden dismissed shouted questions from reporters with a laugh, offering the Angolan delegation a quip: "Welcome to America."
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According to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, Biden had no plans to take questions from the press during his Africa trip, maintaining his limited engagement with reporters since President-elect Donald Trump's victory last month.
Biden's sweeping pardon of his son, covering actions over the past 11 years, has ignited political backlash in the U.S. He had previously made public assurances that he would not leverage his presidential powers to shield family members. Adding to the controversy, Biden accused his own Justice Department of overseeing what he described as a "miscarriage of justice" in handling the prosecution of his son.
Pardon of Hunter Biden
On Sunday, Biden announced he was issuing a pardon for his son, saying: "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. Without aggravating factors like use in a crime, multiple purchases, or buying a weapon as a straw purchaser, people are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form."
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Biden added in his statement, "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—and that is wrong. 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."
Response to Pardon
The decision has drawn sharp criticism from multiple Democrats, many of whom are strategizing their response to Trump's upcoming administration. The move also risks casting a shadow over Biden's legacy as he prepares to step down from office on January 20.
In June, as his son faced trial in a Delaware gun case, Biden told reporters: "I abide by the jury decision. I will do that and I will not pardon him."
Jean-Pierre reiterated the president's stance on a possible pardon while speaking to reporters in June, saying: "It's still a no. It will be a no. It is a no. And I don't have anything else to add. Will he pardon his son? No."
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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