White House defends pardon of Hunter Biden amid backlash deneme

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.

Ms Jean-Pierre said Biden believed Hunter was "singled out" because of who he is and that "they [the president's opponents] would continue to go after his son".

"This is why the president took this action," she added. As recently as last month, Ms Jean-Pierre was still telling reporters that Biden would not pardon his son.

In June, Hunter Biden became the first child of a sitting US president to be criminally convicted after a jury in Delaware found him guilty of three charges for lying about his drug use on a form when buying a handgun.