An unearthed video of Hunter Biden smiling and showing a confident demeanor while being pressed about a possible pardon raises questions about when his dad made the decision that he would pardon his son.
President Biden repeatedly said throughout the year that he would not pardon his son and would not interfere with the criminal justice process. Despite this repeated position, Hunter Biden maintained a confident attitude, even as he faced a maximum sentence of 17 years in federal prison.
A 30-second video obtained by Fox News Digital shows Hunter smiling wryly and walking away after being pressed on whether he was "expecting a pardon" while leaving a Malibu, California, restaurant on July 31, 2024.
The video was taken after Hunter Biden was convicted of three felony charges relating to the illegal purchase of a firearm and shortly before he pleaded guilty to tax evasion. He is seen walking out of Cholada Thai Cuisine by Topanga Beach, just north of Los Angeles, with longtime friend and defender, Academy Award-winning actor and director Sean Penn.
The man taking the video asks: "Hunter, how are you holding up?" to which he responds simply, "Great, man."
The man then asks, "Hunter, are you expecting a pardon?" Hunter Biden does not respond but immediately flashes a large smile as a woman who appears to be a Secret Service agent comes in between the two.
The man prods further asking, "Is that something you can answer on?" to which Biden’s son continues to smile silently as he steps into a black vehicle.
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"Listen, I’m a big fan, you’ve fought the good fight," the man says, to which Hunter Biden responds, "Thank you" and waves as the vehicle begins to drive away.
On June 11, a federal court in Delaware convicted Hunter Biden of lying on a federal screening form and to a gun dealer about being addicted to drugs and for possessing a firearm despite having a drug addiction. Ahead of his tax evasion trial, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty on Sept. 5 to three felonies and two misdemeanor charges of failing to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes between 2016 and 2019.
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After the June conviction, the president was asked whether he had ruled out pardoning his son, to which he replied, "Yes." During the G7 Summit in Washington, D.C., he further told reporters: "I will abide by the jury’s decision. I will do that. And I will not pardon him."
Then, on Sunday night, the president gave his son a full and unconditional pardon for these offenses as well as any he "may have committed or taken part in" from Jan. 1, 2014, through Dec. 1, 2024.
Biden claimed that his son was being "singled out" and that "raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice."
"The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election," he said. "It is clear that Hunter was treated differently."
Hunter Biden’s sentencing was scheduled for Dec. 16.
