'A press release is not a pardon': Hunter Biden judge slams president's decision
The federal judge who presided over Hunter Biden’s federal tax case in Los Angeles became the latest voice to come out against President Joe Biden’s sweeping pardon for his son in a stinging rebuke made public Tuesday night.
U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi in a brief order blamed Hunter Biden’s lawyers for failing to file a copy of the presidential pardon, according to reports. He also took issue with the president’s reasoning for issuing the pardon, going so far as to suggest he was attempting to “rewrite history.”
“In short, a press release is not a pardon,” Scarsi said of the White House’s announcement Sunday night. “The Constitution provides the President with broad authority to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, but nowhere does the Constitution give the President the authority to rewrite history.”
Scarsi, who was appointed by Donald Trump, also challenged Biden’s assertion in his pardon that Hunter “was treated differently" from others “who were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions.”
“But he is not,” Scarsi wrote.
ALSO READ: Will Trump back the FBI’s battle against domestic extremists? He won’t say.
“The judge explained what he sees as the flaw in that thinking: Hunter Biden had pleaded guilty to tax evasion that occurred after he became sober, when he misclassified personal expenses — like luxury clothing, escort services and his daughter’s tuition — as business expenses,” The Los Angeles Times noted.
Scarsi said it was a false assertion that Hunter Biden was singled out only for prosecution because of his last name. In fact, Scarsi noted, “two federal judges expressly rejected Mr. Biden’s argument that the government prosecuted Mr. Biden because of his familial relation to the president.”
Scarsi indicated in the order that he would dispose of the case once he received an official pardon from “the appropriate executive agency." However, the judge did vacate Hunter Biden’s Dec. 16 sentencing date.