Americanswers… on 5 Live! Why has Joe Biden pardoned his son?
Americast
BBC
4.3 • 3.1K Ratings
🗓️ 2 December 2024
⏱️ 31 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In one of his final acts before leaving the White House, Joe Biden has taken the decision to pardon his son, Hunter, who was set to face sentencing this month on federal felony gun and tax convictions.
In doing so he becomes the first president to issue a pardon for his son, which forgives any convictions for federal crimes. The president argued that despite his belief in the justice system, politics had “infected” this process and led to his son being treated differently. Donald Trump has called the decision an "abuse and miscarriage of justice".
Where does the decision leave America’s justice system, and how much damage will it have on Joe Biden’s legacy?
The Americast team once again join Matt Chorley on 5 Live to answer your questions…
HOSTS:
• Matt Chorley, 5 Live presenter • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Sarah Smith, North America Editor • Marianna Spring, Disinformation and Social Media Correspondent • Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello to all the new Ameriasters who've joined us in the last few months. |
| 0:02.8 | More of us now, Mariana, than ever before. |
| 0:05.0 | I know it's brilliant. |
| 0:06.0 | And that's really good because there's so much going on that we want to tell you about |
| 0:09.5 | between now and Donald Trump's inauguration in January. |
| 0:12.5 | We're going to be looking at all sorts of things. |
| 0:14.3 | Who he's picking for his team, what this can mean for the next four years, |
| 0:17.1 | how the Democrats regroup, you name it. So if you have any questions or comments, do get in touch. |
| 0:21.3 | AmeriCast at BBC.co.uk. |
| 0:23.4 | We'll be publishing episodes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. |
| 0:27.7 | And if you don't want to miss an episode, which of course you don't, you can subscribe |
| 0:30.9 | to AmeriCast on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:32.9 | You can turn on push notifications, which means you get an alert when we publish an episode. |
| 0:37.1 | So here is today's. Enjoy. |
| 0:40.2 | BBC Sounds. Music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:43.5 | The White House spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre could not have been clearer when she said this in July. |
| 0:49.8 | The president would not pardon or commute sentences for his son, Hunter. |
| 0:54.6 | I just want to make sure that that is not going to change over the next six months. |
| 0:57.4 | The president's saying it would not. |
| 0:59.3 | It's still a no. |
| 1:00.4 | It's still a no. |
| 1:01.0 | It's still a no. |
... |
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