LUANDA, Angola (AP) — President Joe Biden dodged questions Tuesday about his decision to break his word and pardon his son Hunter, ignoring calls for him to explain his reversal as he made his first presidential trip to Angola .
As he laughed off shouted questions during a meeting with Angolan President João Lourenço at the presidential palace, Biden told the Angolan delegation “welcome to America.” Biden would not take questions from the press during his trip to Africa, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Monday, and he has avoided virtually any interaction with reporters since President-elect Donald Trump’s victory last month.
Biden’s decision to grant his son a blanket pardon for actions over the past 11 years has sparked a political uproar in Washington after the president repeatedly told the public he would not use his extraordinary powers to benefit his family members. And Biden alleged that his own Justice Department presided over a “miscarriage of justice” in his son’s prosecution.
Trusted news and daily treats, straight to your inbox
See for yourself: The Yodel is the source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories.
The reversal drew criticism from many Democrats, who are calibrating their approach to Trump as he prepares to take over the Oval Office in seven weeks, as they fear the pardon — and Biden’s claims that his son is seeking political reasons was continued – will erode. their ability to push back the new president’s legal action. And it threatened to cloud Biden’s legacy as he prepares to leave office on Jan. 20.
In June, Biden told reporters as his son stood trial in a gun case in Delaware: “I stand by the jury’s decision. I will do that and I will not pardon him.”
In July, Jean-Pierre told reporters: “It’s still a no. It will be a no. It’s a no. And I have nothing further to add. Will he pardon his son? No.”
In November, days after Trump’s victory, Jean-Pierre reiterated that message: “Our answer remains: no.”
___
Long and Miller reported from Washington.
