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President Biden pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, late Sunday evening, sparing him from being sentenced in a pair of separate court cases in which he was found guilty of illegally purchasing a gun and failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes — convictions the president claimed were politically motivated and a “miscarriage of justice.”

A review of Hunter Biden’s yearslong legal saga, however, shows another story, and those involved in the prosecutions are making sure that side of the story is told in the aftermath of the president’s decision. 

“There was none and never has been any evidence of vindictive or selective prosecution in this case,” special prosecutor David Weiss said in a court filing following the pardoning. 

Two IRS whistleblowers who sounded the alarm on Hunter Biden’s tax issues also slammed the decision to pardon Hunter Biden, saying, “No amount of lies or spin can hide the simple truth that the Justice Department nearly let the President’s son off the hook for multiple felonies.”

“President Biden has the power to put his thumb on the scales of justice for his son, but at least he had to do it with a pardon explicitly for all the world to see rather than his political appointees doing it secretly behind the scenes. Either way it is a sad day for law abiding taxpayers to witness this special privilege for the powerful,” IRS whistleblowers Supervisory Special Agent Gary Shapley and Special Agent Joe Ziegler said in a statement Sunday evening. 

2 TIMES BIDEN SAID HE WOULD NOT PARDON SON HUNTER BIDEN 

President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden hug on stage at the conclusion of the first day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on Aug. 19, 2024. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

“No amount of lies or spin can hide the simple truth that the Justice Department nearly let the President’s son off the hook for multiple felonies. We did our duty, told the truth, and followed the law. Anyone reading the President’s excuses now should remember that Hunter Biden admitted to his tax crimes in federal court, that Hunter Biden’s attorneys have targeted us for our lawful whistleblower disclosures, and that we are suing one of those attorneys for smearing us with false accusations,” they continued, referring to their $20 million defamation lawsuit against Hunter Biden’s high-profile attorney Abbe Lowell in September for claiming the IRS investigators illegally leaked Hunter Biden’s private tax information.

The guilty plea, guilty verdict and the president’s pardoning caps off a yearslong legal saga for the first son and his family, with the cases stretching back to 2018 and notably featured the IRS whistleblowers who sounded the alarm on Hunter Biden’s tax issues. 

Hunter Biden was found guilty in the gun case in June, with a jury of his peers determining he made a false statement in the purchase of a gun, made a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federally licensed gun dealer, and possession of a gun by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance. 

He has a well-documented history of drug abuse, which was most notably documented in his 2021 memoir, “Beautiful Things,” which walked readers through his previous need to smoke crack cocaine every 20 minutes, how his addiction was so prolific that he referred to himself as a “crack daddy” to drug dealers, and anecdotes revolving around drug deals, such as a Washington, D.C., crack dealer Biden nicknamed “Bicycles.”

In the tax case, Hunter faced another trial regarding three felony tax offenses and six misdemeanor tax offenses regarding the failure to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes. As jury selection was about to kick off in Los Angeles federal court in September, Hunter entered a surprise guilty plea. 

TRUMP PREVIOUSLY PREDICTED BIDEN WOULD PARDON SON HUNTER

President Joe Biden speaks in the Rose Garden at the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Washington.  (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

BIDEN PARDONS SON HUNTER BIDEN AHEAD OF EXIT FROM OVAL OFFICE

The tax case investigation originally kicked off in 2018, when the U.S. attorney in Delaware opened a probe into Hunter Biden’s finances. The first son initially notified the public that he was under investigation one month after his dad won the presidential election over President-elect Donald Trump in 2020. 

​​”I learned yesterday for the first time that the U.S. attorney’s office in Delaware advised my legal counsel, also yesterday, that they are investigating my tax affairs,” Hunter Biden said in a statement released in December of 2020. “I take this matter very seriously, but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisers.”

After President Biden took control of the Oval Office, his administration retained David Weiss, a Trump-appointed Republican charged with overseeing the investigation into Hunter Biden in his capacity as U.S. attorney for Delaware. The Biden administration had gutted all Senate-confirmed U.S. attorneys under the Trump administration, except for two individuals: Weiss, and Special Counsel John Durham, who investigated the origins of the Russia probe surrounding the 2016 election. 

KJP SAYS PRESIDENT BIDEN STILL HAS NO PLANS TO PARDON HUNTER BIDEN FOR TAX FRAUD, GUN CHARGES

Last year, Hunter Biden was in the midst of hashing out a plea agreement to two misdemeanor tax counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax, as well as a pretrial diversion agreement regarding a separate felony charge of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance. The plea agreement unraveled in Delaware court, however, and heightened his legal woes. 

Weeks later, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Weiss as special counsel, broadening the scope of the investigation into Hunter Biden. With the plea deal officially at an impasse, Weiss subsequently charged Hunter Biden in September of last year for the gun charges, and brought forth the nine tax-related charges against Hunter Biden in December of 2023 in California court. 

U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware David C. Weiss. (Fox News screenshot)

“The appointment of Mr. Weiss reinforces for the American people the department’s commitment to both independence and accountability in particularly sensitive matters,” Garland said in the announcement of Weiss as special prosecutor. “I am confident that Mr. Weiss will carry out his responsibility in an evenhanded and urgent manner and in accordance with the highest traditions of this department.”

Simultaneous to the investigations into Hunter Biden’s tax dealings and gun purchase scrutiny, IRS whistleblowers sounded the alarm that they gathered evidence Hunter Biden had allegedly committed “felony and misdemeanor tax charges.” The whistleblowers were identified as IRS Special Agent Joseph Ziegler and his supervisor Gary Shapley. 

HUNTER BIDEN FOUND GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS IN GUN TRIAL

The whistleblowers told Congress last year that prosecutorial decisions made throughout the federal investigation into the president’s son were allegedly impacted by politics, claiming the Justice Department and IRS handled its probe of Hunter Biden’s finances with kid gloves. 

Ziegler said he felt the investigation into Hunter Biden was “handcuffed” and that the DOJ and Weiss slow-walked the investigation, while underscoring that he is a Democrat and worked to remove any personal political bias. 

IRS Supervisory Special Agent Gary Shapley, left, and Joseph Ziegler, an IRS Agent with the criminal investigations division, take their seats at a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing with IRS whistleblowers, Wednesday, July 19, 2023, in Washington. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

“I’m a Democrat. In the last presidential election, I actually did not vote,” Ziegler told CBS News last year. “I thought it would be irresponsible of me to do so because I didn’t wanna show bias one way or the other.”

The whistleblowers said the tax discrepancies stretched back to 2014 and related to Hunter Biden’s employment with Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian natural gas firm. Fox Digital first reported in 2020 that Hunter Biden did not report “approximately $400,000” in income he collected from his position on the board of Burisma Holdings when he joined in 2014. 

Weiss’ charges against Hunter Biden ultimately only focused on his failure to pay taxes between 2016 and 2020. However, the president’s pardon of his son shields him from prosecution for offenses between 2014 and 2024. 

After the whistleblowers’ attorney sent a letter to lawmakers in April of last year indicating they wished to “make a protected whistleblower disclosures to Congress” over claims the Biden admin was allegedly mishandling the matter, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., subpoenaed the FBI to turn over materials related to a “criminal scheme involving then-Vice President Joe Biden and a foreign national.”

JOE BIDEN MET WITH AT LEAST 14 OF HUNTER’S BUSINESS ASSOCIATES WHILE VICE PRESIDENT

Comer did ultimately receive documents related to President Biden’s alleged “criminal scheme,” known as the FD-1023 document, but slammed the materials as essentially useless as they were reportedly overwhelmingly redacted. 

Meanwhile, the House Ways and Means Committee interviewed the IRS whistleblowers and released transcripts of their interviews last year showing claims the Biden administration slow-walked the investigation and claiming the DOJ refused to appoint Weiss special counsel status. The DOJ denied the claims. 

Shapley claimed the agency obtained a message from WhatsApp dated July 30, 2017, from Hunter Biden to Henry Zhao, CEO of Harvest Fund Management, where the president’s son allegedly threatened his business associate by leveraging his father’s political clout.

Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, departs a House Oversight Committee meeting at Capitol Hill on January 10, 2024 in Washington, DC. The committee is meeting today as it considers citing him for Contempt of Congress.  (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

“I am sitting here with my father and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled. Tell the director that I would like to resolve this now before it gets out of hand, and now means tonight,” Hunter Biden allegedly wrote. The message was sent after Biden’s term as vice president under the Obama administration, and before he was elected president in 2020.  

“And, Z, if I get a call or text from anyone involved in this other than you, Zhang, or the chairman, I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction,” the message continues. “I am sitting here waiting for the call with my father.”

HUNTER BIDEN FACES NEW INDICTMENT IN CALIFORNIA

The White House has repeatedly denied the president had any business dealings with his son. 

As the investigations and whistleblower claims mounted, House Republicans opened an impeachment inquiry into Biden, with the House Oversight Committee, House Judiciary Committee and House Ways and Means Committee releasing a lengthy report in August that Biden engaged in “impeachable conduct” and “defrauded the United States to enrich his family.” 

Hunter Biden, center, and his attorneys Abbe Lowell, right, and Kevin Morris, left, arrive for the House Oversight and Accountability Committee markup titled “Resolution Recommending That The House Of Representatives Find Robert Hunter Biden In Contempt Of Congress,” in Rayburn Building on Wednesday, January 10, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Republicans said there was “overwhelming evidence” that Biden participated in a “conspiracy to monetize his office of public trust to enrich his family” to the tune of more than $27 million from foreign individuals or entities since 2014.

The inquiry has fizzled in recent months, as the presidential election took center stage on the national level. 

President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, step off Air Force One, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, N.Y. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Biden declared in his statement Sunday evening that the prosecution of Hunter was a “miscarriage of justice,” apparently bolstering his reasoning for the pardon after he said at least twice he would not pardon his son. 

“From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,” Biden said in his statement announcing the pardon. 

“It is clear that Hunter was treated differently. 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. Then, a carefully negotiated plea deal, agreed to by the Department of Justice, unraveled in the court room – with a number of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure on the process. Had the plea deal held, it would have been a fair, reasonable resolution of Hunter’s cases,” he continued. 

“I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice – and once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further. I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.” 

Similar to his dad, Hunter Biden released a statement Sunday arguing the investigations and prosecutions were politically motivated.  

​​”I have admitted and taken responsibility for my mistakes during the darkest days of my addiction — mistakes that have been exploited to publicly humiliate and shame me and my family for political sport,” Hunter Biden said in a statement to Fox News. “Despite all of this, I have maintained my sobriety for more than five years because of my deep faith and the unwavering love and support of my family and friends.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Weiss’s office for comment, but did not immediately receive a reply. 

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman, Greg Wehner, and Charles Creitz contributed to this report. 

So you want to know about “recess appointments”?

Well, recess is over and class is in session. 

Let’s start with four main sections in the Constitution: 

“[The President] shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States” – Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution

PRESENT AND ACCOUNTED FOR: HOUSE REPUBLICANS’ SMALL MAJORITY COULD MAKE ATTENDANCE A PRIORITY 

Former President Trump waves during a campaign rally at Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum on Oct. 21, 2024, in Greenville, North Carolina.  (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

“The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.” – Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution

“Neither House, during the Session of Congress, shall, without the Consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other Place than that in which the two Houses shall be sitting.” – Article I, Section 5 of the Constitution

And then there is this particularly thermonuclear passage:

“[The President} may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper.” – Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution

Let’s work through the mechanics of each one.

It’s tradition for a president to nominate various persons for his Cabinet, other administration positions and the judiciary. However, the Senate must confirm those figures through a roll call vote on the floor. The confirmation process usually entails formal visits with senators, background checks on nominees by the FBI or the committees of jurisdiction, hearings with the nominee and other witnesses who either support or oppose the nominee, a committee vote to discharge the nomination to the floor, debate on the floor and a final confirmation vote. This is the Senate’s “Advice and Consent” exercise. It’s a responsibility most senators take very seriously. Many passionately guard those prerogatives.

‘IT’S A SETBACK’: DEMOCRATS CRITICIZE BIDEN OVER HUNTER PARDON

Donald Trump watches a video screen at a campaign rally at the Salem Civic Center, in Salem, Virginia, Nov. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

For instance, incoming President Trump nominated former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., for attorney general. Gaetz met with several Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee last month. But Gaetz’s selection never got to the vetting phase or even a hearing. It was clear to Gaetz – and most senators – that the nominee wasn’t confirmable by the Senate. Confirmation of Gaetz would have represented the “consent” provision of the Constitution. However, the abrupt withdrawal of the nominee – after all of the Senate’s closed-door muttering – certainly reflected “advice.”

After Gaetz, expect lots of consternation in the coming weeks about the viability of Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard, Health and Human Services secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy and FBI Director pick Kash Patel.

This is where the concept of “recess appointments” could come in. If the Senate fails to confirm some of Trump’s nominees, there are suggestions that Trump might try to circumvent the Senate and temporarily install these persons in those roles on an “acting” basis.

This is the application of Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution. It allows the president to “fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Senate.”

A “recess appointment” may only serve in the role until the end of a given, two-year Congress. The Founders crafted the concept of a recess appointment so the government could have a stand-in for a period if a given office suddenly became vacant due to death or resignation. Congress was often out of session for months at a time in the early days of the republic. Transportation was tough. It was a challenge to quickly confirm replacements if the Senate wasn’t meeting. So the Founders created the fail-safe of “recess appointments.” That way, the government wasn’t hamstrung waiting on the Senate to eventually reconvene and confirm someone to an important government post.

But how would a recess appointment work in the current environment? And could a president just bypass the Senate and install someone if Congress wasn’t meeting? In theory, yes. And it’s possible that a president could do so if a nomination is stalled or someone is unconfirmed.

THOMAS MASSIE, CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR VOCALLY OPPOSE TRUMP’S DEA NOMINEE

Trump has yet to say who he prefers to lead the GOP conference. (Reuters)

However, the brutal truth is that recess appointments are becoming rare. Both Trump and President Biden had precisely zero recess appointments. President Obama had 32. The last recess appointment was Richard Griffin Jr. to the National Labor Relations Board on Jan. 4, 2012. He was part of four recess appointments by Obama on that day. Griffin and two others were placed at the NLRB. Obama also slotted Richard Cordray as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 

By contrast, President George W. Bush had 171 recess appointments. President Bill Clinton scored 139. 

The lynchpin to the entire enterprise is whether there is in fact an appropriate “recess” of the Congress. Only under such a recess would the Senate reside in the proper parliamentary posture to allow for the potential of a recess appointment. It’s been years now since both the House and Senate have technically abandoned Washington for more than three days. That’s to guard against the chance of a recess appointment. The House and Senate used to frequently approve what’s called an “adjournment resolution.” That granted both the House and Senate leave from Capitol Hill for extended periods – such as over the holidays, Thanksgiving, Easter and Passover, Independence Day and the “August recess.” But those are infrequent. 

This fall, both the House and Senate were “out” for part of September, all of October and a chunk of November. However, both bodies convened abbreviated sessions every three days. Each one lasted just a few seconds. That’s de rigueur in Washington because the House and Senate can’t approve an adjournment resolution. The House and Senate just don’t snap their fingers and they’re out. Like everything on Capitol Hill, both bodies must vote to adjourn. Democrats control the Senate. So it might not be a problem approving an adjournment resolution there. But the GOP controls the House. House Republicans would never green light an adjournment resolution, presenting the potential for Biden to make a recess appointment. So each body now meets for just a few seconds every three days to forestall recess appointments.

This phenomenon reflects the power of Article I, Section 5, as neither body “shall, without the consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days.”

During his time in office, Obama believed the House and Senate were truly “in recess” – despite convening every three days. Frustrated at the pace of his nominations, the White House concluded that the three-day operation wasn’t sufficient for the House and Senate to conclude they were “out.” Hence the appointment of Griffin and others during a 2012 window between sessions.

TRUMP TAPS DAUGHTER TIFFANY’S FATHER-IN-LAW MASSAD BOULOS AS SENIOR ADVISERS ON ARAB AND MIDDLE EASTERN AFFAIRS

Former President Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Johnny Mercer Theatre on Sept. 24, 2024, in Savannah, Georgia. ( Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

But in 2014, the Supreme Court found that the Obama administration overstepped its bounds with the recess appointment. In NLRB v. Canning, the high court found that if the Senate says it’s out, it’s out. In other words, the executive branch of government has no authority interpreting actions of the legislative branch of government.

Moreover, Article I, Section 5 of the Constitution allows each body of Congress to “determine the Rules of its Proceedings.” That said, for the first time in U.S. history, the Supreme Court established a length of time the House and Senate must be out for there to be a “recess” and the possibility of a “recess appointment.” In a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court decided that recess appointments are permissible if the House and Senate are out for a period of at least 10 days. 

So let’s say the Senate is struggling to confirm some of the incoming president’s most-controversial nominees. Could Trump ask the House and Senate to call it quits for 10 days so he could slide a troubled nominee into place? In theory, yes. But parliamentarily, what would it take for the House and Senate to both be out of session in order to strategically create a political crevasse wide enough for a recess appointment?

It’s about the math. 

In the new year, Republicans will control the House with perhaps as few as 217 seats. One race in California still doesn’t have a winner. The new Congress starts with one vacancy. The Senate will be 53-47 in favor of the GOP. Republicans really can’t lose any votes toward adopting an adjournment resolution. Senate Republicans can lose up to three of their own – and have Vice President JD Vance break the tie on an adjournment resolution. But four votes? They’re out of luck.

Here’s the challenging part: 

It’s far from certain that both the House and Senate could ever muster the votes to approve an adjournment resolution for the sole purpose of engineering a recess appointment – or even a batch of them. Some House Republicans might balk. But the bigger issue could be Senate Republicans. Many senators simply won’t forgo their responsibilities to provide advice and consent. They guard those traditions closely. Plus, they worry about establishing what some would view as a terrible precedent to allow a president to install their nominees, no matter how embattled they may be. After all, Senate Republicans would rue the day they vote to adjourn in favor of installing one of Trump’s nominees – lest “President Newsom” or “President Whitmer” try the same thing in 2029.

 TRUMP NOMINATES CHARTLES KUSHNER TO SERVE AS US AMBASSADOR TO FRANCE: ‘STRONG ADVOCATE’

The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (iStock)

In NLRB v. Canning, late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia even argued against the concept of recess appointments in the modern Senate. In today’s world, the Senate can reconvene quickly to consider nominees.

“The only remaining practical use for the recess appointment power is the ignoble one of enabling presidents to circumvent the Senate’s role in the appointment process, which is precisely what happened here,” said Scalia.

And even if the House and Senate approved an adjournment resolution of more than 10 days, exactly when would the recess fall? Congressional Republicans promise a robust agenda in 2025. When the House and Senate are out, they are out. That means nothing on the floor in both bodies for at least a week-and-a-half. No legislation on tax cuts. Nothing dealing with the debt ceiling or cutting spending. Forget about immigration policy.

So the political postulate of a recess appointment is fascinating. But it’s altogether something different in practice.

This brings us to Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution. This is the “thermonuclear passage” I referred to earlier. The Constitution states that “on extraordinary Occasions” the President may “convene both Houses, or either of them, and in the case of Disagreement between them with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper.”

U.S. presidents have never exercised this authority to “adjourn” Congress. No one knows what constitutes “extraordinary Occasions.” And, a lay reading of Article II, Section 3 suggests there must be a discrepancy between the House and Senate over adjourning – for the purposes of a recess appointment. In other words, the House may be able to approve the adjournment resolution – and the Senate may not or vice versa.

In theory, President-elect Trump could try this gambit to adjourn Congress. But this is new constitutional turf. Yes. A recess appointment like Cordray or Griffin may find themselves in the job. But the Trump administration would inevitably find itself in front of the Supreme Court about the validity of those appointments. Just like the Obama administration.

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So recess appointments are theoretically possible. But in reality, they are very hard to put into place.

And for our purposes, it’s time for a recess.

Class dismissed. 

The mayor of Maryland’s second-largest city caused a firestorm after announcing his plan seeking the establishment of a taxpayer-funded “legal advocacy fund” to defend immigrants “who may be harmed by policies from the new (Trump) administration.”

Frederick Mayor Michael O’Connor, a Democrat, hearkened back to his ancestors’ arrival from Ireland in saying President-elect Donald Trump’s “first term is prologue” on how he will treat immigrants in announcing an appropriation request to “ensure [immigrants] have the legal support they need to stand strong and remain in this community they have chosen to call home.”

“In many regards, this election did not go as I had hoped,” said O’Connor, whose city of 86,000 sits halfway between Washington, D.C. and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

“As many residents know, our city council recently made a decision to provide voting rights to any resident that calls Frederick home, regardless of citizenship status. We will continue to make progress on implementation as it’s our responsibility and not take any step that would seek to create division, target vulnerable populations or undermine the trust that we have worked hard to build in our community,” O’Connor added.

MS-13 GANG MEMBER SUSPECTED OF MARYLAND MURDER ALLOWED TO ATTEND HIGH SCHOOL

The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee criticized the move, saying O’Connor’s “pledge to protect illegal aliens is particularly appalling.” He highlighted the case of Walter Javier Martinez, an MS-13 gang member who was sentenced to 70 years for the rape, strangulation and murder of Kayla Hamilton, a young, autistic woman in nearby Harford County. Martinez, who was 17 at the time, had been released to a “sponsor” in Frederick before committing the crime. He pleaded guilty to Hamilton’s murder in August. 

Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., said public officials at all levels of government have a responsibility to protect their citizens:

“I am confident the incoming Trump administration will disabuse these state and local leaders of the notion they are above federal immigration law.” 

Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins told Fox News Digital that O’Connor’s plan is “totally inappropriate.”

“I think he’s going to anger the taxpayers. And aside from that, I think it’s unfair to the taxpayer,” Jenkins said in a Monday interview.

He added there are enough private or non-profit advocacy groups that would front legal fees and such for migrants facing federal action.

Jenkins, whose department is responsible for enforcing laws outside Frederick city proper, predicts the move will invite increased criminal activity to the area under the “false perception” they’ll be protected.

“He’s not going to let the Frederick Police Department cooperate with ICE.”

Jenkins praised incoming “border czar” Tom Homan, adding the ICE veteran doesn’t need Frederick city’s blessing to conduct federal operations.

He noted that local and county agencies don’t have jurisdiction to enforce immigration law, but reiterated he is fully supportive of Trump’s and Homan’s general policy plans.

“I am 100% supportive from the standpoint I want to do everything I can to keep my county safe, our citizens safe, reduce crime, remove a criminal element, and let’s clean this country up.”

In his remarks reported last week, O’Connor cited Vice President Kamala Harris’ concession speech, in which she said, “Now is the time we must be organized, energized and engaged.” He said Frederick would add focusing on upholding the city’s values to her sentiment.

MARYLAND GOVERNOR DEFENDS $190K TRUMP-CENTRIC CONSULTANT CONTRACT AS PRESIDENT-ELECT MOVES IN NEXT DOOR

Fox News Digital reached out to O’Connor for further comment. Frederick notably hosts both the presidential Camp David retreat in the nearby Catoctin Mountains and the U.S. biological defense headquarters at Fort Detrick.

In his public remarks, O’Connor denied he was making a political message, but instead a “patriotic one.”

“While we cannot predict every policy or action this administration may take. We have seen enough to know our path forward here in Frederick is clear. We will be steadfast in ensuring that our city continues to be a place where everyone feels safe, respected and protected.”

O’Connor added that the Frederick Police Department — separate from Jenkins’ agency — is “committed to ensuring all residents feel safe in reporting crime and know that they will not be questioned about their immigration status.”

“We refuse to aid and abet outside agencies attempting to detain, deport or remove any residents from our community,” the mayor said.

Asked for first-hand comment, the FPD said it is committed to building trust and maintaining open lines of communication with all members of our diverse community.”

“For years, we have focused solely on enforcing traffic and criminal laws, not immigration laws… Immigration enforcement is the responsibility of federal agencies, not the Frederick Police Department.”

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In their statement sent to Fox News Digital, the department said it does not inquire about immigration status from residents who need help or are reporting a crime, and it wants everyone in Frederick to feel safe in their interactions with police.

In Anne Arundel County, which includes the capital Annapolis, Democratic County Executive Steuart Pittman suggested similar defenses to O’Connor’s for immigrants facing deportation. FOXBaltimore reported Pittman said Anne Arundel will provide services to families of a deported breadwinner.

In Annapolis itself, Gov. Wes Moore told Fox News Digital the U.S. immigration system is broken and that Congress must fix it.

“Federal leaders need to set aside politics and work to ensure that our border is secure and that we have a fair and humane immigration system,” he said, adding he comes from a family of immigrants and is “deeply connected to the immigrant story and contributions” of their communities.

Moore addressed “speculation” about how Trump will address immigration policy:

“As governor, I have an obligation to protect Marylanders, including members of our immigrant communities. I take that obligation seriously and will wait to see what actions the new administration takes.”

Fox News Digital also reached out to potential Senate Homeland Security Committee chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., and a listed contact for Democratic Rep.-elect April McClain-Delaney, who will represent Frederick in the new term.

Attorneys for first son Hunter Biden filed a motion with the court arguing that the grand jury indictment against President Biden’s son be dismissed completely, though the special counsel assigned to the case says the dismissal should be denied.

President Biden pardoned his son Hunter late Sunday evening, sparing him from being sentenced in a pair of separate court cases in which he was found guilty of illegally purchasing a gun and failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes — convictions the president claimed were politically motivated and a “miscarriage of justice.”

On Monday, Special Counsel David Weiss of the U.S. Department of Justice filed a request to the judge who presided over the gun case, Judge Maryellen Noreika, seeking to deny the motion to dismiss Hunter’s indictment.

“The Government does not challenge that the defendant has been the recipient of an act of mercy,” Weiss said in the filing. “That does not mean the grand jury’s decision to charge him, based on a finding of probable cause, should be wiped away because the defendant falsely claimed that the charges were the result of some improper motive or selective prosecution.

SPECIAL COUNSEL, IRS WHISTLEBLOWERS SAY DON’T BUY BIDEN ‘SPIN’ ABOUT HUNTER BIDEN LEGAL SAGA

President Biden and son Hunter Biden step out of a bookstore while shopping in Nantucket, Massachusetts, on November 29, 2024. Biden on Sunday issued an official pardon for his son Hunter, who was facing sentencing for two criminal cases related to tax evasion and the purchase of a firearm.  (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

“No court has agreed with the defendant on these baseless claims, and his request to dismiss the indictment finds no support in the law,” the special counsel added before requesting the dismissal of the indictment be denied.

In response to the request, Hunter’s attorney, Abbe Lowell of the Washington, D.C.-based law firm, Winston & Strawn LLP, argued that the majority of courts support a dismissal.

“The Special Counsel paradoxically claims that Mr. Biden’s notice is ‘without any legal support’ in suggesting that his pardon means that the Court should dismiss the indictment, at the same time, the Special Counsel acknowledges that ‘the majority of courts, when faced with such a decision, have chosen to dismiss an indictment,’” the defense team wrote. “The Special Counsel’s admission that this is the practice of the ‘majority of courts’ certainly provides legal support to Mr. Biden’s claim that dismissal is warranted.”

JOE BIDEN MET WITH AT LEAST 14 OF HUNTER’S BUSINESS ASSOCIATES WHILE VICE PRESIDENT

Hunter Biden, son of President Biden, follows his attorney Abbe Lowell on Capitol Hill in Washington on January 10, 2024.  (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

Hunter Biden was found guilty in the gun case in June, with a jury of his peers determining he made a false statement in the purchase of a gun, made a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federally licensed gun dealer, and possession of a gun by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance. 

He has a well-documented history of drug abuse, which was most notably documented in his 2021 memoir, “Beautiful Things,” which walked readers through his previous need to smoke crack cocaine every 20 minutes, how his addiction was so prolific that he referred to himself as a “crack daddy” to drug dealers, and anecdotes revolving around drug deals, such as a Washington, D.C., crack dealer Hunter Biden nicknamed “Bicycles.”

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In the tax case, Hunter faced another trial regarding three felony tax offenses and six misdemeanor tax offenses regarding the failure to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes. As jury selection was about to kick off in Los Angeles federal court in September, Hunter entered a surprise guilty plea.

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.

President-elect Trump will travel to Paris this weekend to attend the re-opening of the Notre Dame Cathedral, five years after a devastating fire damaged the 12th-century structure. 

Trump announced the Dec. 7 visit on social media. 

“It is an honor to announce that I will be traveling to Paris, France, on Saturday to attend the re-opening of the Magnificent and Historic Notre Dame Cathedral, which has been fully restored after a devastating fire five years ago,” he wrote on Truth Social. “President Emmanuel Macron has done a wonderful job ensuring that Notre Dame has been restored to its full level of glory, and even more so.”

NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL TO REOPEN, BRACES FOR INFLUX OF TOURISTS AFTER DEVASTATING FIRE 

Trump said he will attend the reopening celebration of the Notre Dame Cathedral this weekend, five years after a fire heavily damaged the structure.  (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“It will be a very special day for all!” he added. 

The invite-only ceremonies on Saturday and Sunday are expected to attract about 50 heads of state and governments. Aides to Trump were in talks with French President Macron’s office regarding the visit, sources confirmed to Fox News. 

Nearly $1 billion was raised to rebuild the iconic site after a catastrophic fire swept across the landmark in April 2019. Around $148 million of that sum remains. 

The blaze caused the collapse of the cathedral’s roof and part of its exterior while destroying the interior.

HUMAN REMAINS AT NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL MAY HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AFTER MORE THAN 450 YEARS 

Notre Dame suffered a devastating fire in April 2019. (Pierre Suu/Getty Images)

At the time of the blaze, Trump encouraged France to use “flying water tankers” to put out a raging fire. 

“So horrible to watch the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris,” he wrote. “Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out. Must act quickly!”

The cathedral was visited by more than 12 million people every year before the fire, according to the Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris’ site.

French President Emmanuel Macron toured the site ahead of its reopening to the public on Dec. 8, describing the experience as “overwhelming,” 

The nave of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral is seen on Friday Nov. 29, 2024, in Paris, France.  (AP/Stephane de Sakutin)

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An estimated 15 million annual visitors are expected to book time-allocated slots upon the reopening, according to the cathedral’s website.

President-elect Trump suggested to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week that if a tariff for failing to address trade and immigration issues would kill the neighbor to the north’s economy, maybe it should become the 51st state, sources told Fox News.

Last Friday, Trudeau flew to Mar-a-Lago unannounced after Trump threatened to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian products. Specifically, Trump is threatening to impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico over their failures to curb the flow of illegal immigrants and illicit drugs from those countries into the U.S.

Now, new details are beginning to emerge about the meeting between the two men, which Trump called “very productive.”

Before nibbling on crab cocktail and slurping down oysters, the issues of tariffs, border security and trade deficits were front and center.

TRUMP BOASTS OF ‘VERY PRODUCTIVE MEETING’ WITH CANADIAN PM TRUDEAU AT MAR-A-LAGO

Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a meeting at Winfield House, London on Dec. 3, 2019. (Getty Images)

According to two people at the table who heard the discussion, Trump, while cordial and welcoming, was very direct when it came to what he wants from his counterpart to the North.

Paraphrasing the discussion, Trump told Trudeau that Canada has failed the U.S. border by allowing large amounts of drugs and people across the border, including illegal immigrants from over 70 different countries.

Sources say Trump became more animated when it came to the U.S. trade deficit with Canada, which he estimated to be more than $100 billion.

MUSK, STALLONE AMONG STAR-STUDDED NAMES PARTYING AT TRUMP’S MAR-A-LAGO CLUB FOR THANKSGIVING

Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, met with President-elect Trump at Mar-a-Lago last Friday. (Dean Casavechia/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The president-elect told the prime minister if Canada cannot fix the border issues and trade deficit, he will levy a 25% tariff on all Canadian goods on day one when he returns to office.

Trudeau told Trump he cannot levy the tariff because it would kill the Canadian economy completely. Trump replied – asking, so your country can’t survive unless it’s ripping off the U.S. to the tune of $100 billion? 

Trump then suggested to Trudeau that Canada become the 51st state, which caused the prime minister and others to laugh nervously, sources told Fox News.

MEXICAN PRESIDENT MIGHT BE CHANGING VIEW ON US AS TRUMP WIN SENDS WARNING TO RULING SOCIALISTS 

Trudeau met with President-elect Trump at his lavish Mar-a-Lago resort. (Getty Images)

But he continued, telling Trudeau that prime minister is a better title, though he could still be governor of the 51st state.

Sources told Fox News someone at the table chimed in and advised Trump that Canada would be a very liberal state, which received even more laughter. Trump suggested that Canada could possibly become two states: a conservative and a liberal one.

He told Trudeau that if he cannot handle his list of demands without ripping the U.S. off in trade, maybe Canada should really become a state or two and Trudeau could become a governor.

While sources say the exchange got many laughs, Trump delivered the message that he expected change by January 20.

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The nearly three-hour conversation continued about various other topics, and at the end, the Canadian guests called the dinner “very friendly and very positive,” though no reference was made about becoming the 51st state.

Fox News Digital has reached out to both the Trump camp and Trudeau’s team about the statements, though neither immediately responded.

President-elect Trump picked businessman and philanthropist Warren A. Stephens to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the Court of St. James, who, in simple terms, is the country’s representative to the U.K.

“Over the last 38 years, while serving as the president, chairman, and CEO of his company, Stephens Inc., Warren has built a wonderful financial services firm, while selflessly giving back to his community as a philanthropist,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “Warren has always dreamed of serving the United States full-time. I am thrilled that he will now have that opportunity as the top Diplomat, representing the U.S.A. to one of America’s most cherished and beloved Allies.”

Trump then congratulated Stephens, his wife Harriet, their three children, Miles, John and Laura, and their six grandchildren.

The announcement comes as Trump continues to fill several positions in his administration.

TRUMP FBI PICK KASH PATEL SHOULD TAKE THESE CONCRETE STEPS TO RESTORE TRUST: FORMER SPECIAL AGENT

President-elect Trump nominated Warren A. Stephens to serve as the ambassador to the United Kingdom, marking off another role in his growing list of administration nominations. (Getty Images)

According to the Stephens Inc. website, Trump’s pick serves as the chairman, president and CEO of the privately owned diversified financial services firm headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Stephens is a graduate of Washington and Lee University where he received a BA in economics. He later earned an MBA from Wake Forest University.

GET TO KNOW DONALD TRUMP’S CABINET: WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT PICKED SO FAR?

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump tapped Warren A. Stephens to serve as ambassador to the United Kingdom. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Under Stephens’ leadership, the company expanded into major U.S. markets and opened offices in London, U.K., and Frankfurt, Germany.

Stephens has also served as chairman of the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) District Conduct Committee, and currently sits on the Board of Directors of Dillard’s Inc.

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In terms of civic and community involvement, Stephens has chaired the board for the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts; the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts Foundation Board; the Episcopal Collegiate School Foundation Board; and served on the Board of Directors for the Central Arkansas Boys and Girls Club, among other things.

The Senate will have to confirm Stephens’ position.

President Joe Biden faced mounting criticism Monday for his decision to issue a sweeping pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, with detractors not only citing the breadth of the pardon itself but also the degree to which it breaks with the president’s history of extolling the virtues of the judiciary as a bulwark against executive abuses of power.

In fact, Biden took aim at these very abuses during a speech in July, in which he warned of a “dangerous precedent” created by the Supreme Court’s decision that expanded the view of presidential immunity. 

“This nation was founded on the principle that there are no kings in America,” Biden said in July. “No one is above the law, not even the president of the United States.”

Biden’s remarks were a response to the Supreme Court’s July 1 ruling that expanded the view of presidential immunity, and which he criticized as fundamentally changing the separation of powers.

“With today’s Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity, that fundamentally changed,” Biden said in July.

“For all practical purposes, today’s decision almost certainly means that there are virtually no limits on what a president can do,” he added.

PRESENT AND ACCOUNTED FOR: HOUSE REPUBLICANS’ SMALL MAJORITY COULD MAKE ATTENDANCE A PRIORITY 

President Joe Biden delivers the annual State of the Union address in Washington, DC, in 2024.  (Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images)

In their decision, justices writing for the 4-3 Supreme Court majority said that presidents are entitled to absolute immunity from any actions taken within the scope of “core constitutional powers” of the office. 

A presumption of immunity also applies to other actions taken while holding office, they said.

Biden strenuously objected to that ruling, citing deep concerns over the risks of unchecked power in the executive branch — and the erosion of what he described as necessary parameters for a sitting president. 

The presidency, Biden said then, “is the most powerful office in the world. It’s an office that not only tests your judgment. But perhaps even more importantly, it’s an office that can test your character.”

“You not only face moments where you need the courage to exercise the full power of the presidency,” Biden said in his speech. “You also face moments where you need the wisdom to respect the limits of the power of the office of the presidency.”

TRUMP’S AG PICK HAS ‘HISTORY OF CONSENSUS BUILDING’

President Biden and Hunter Biden arrive in Syracuse, New York (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

Six months later, Biden is facing sharp criticism from some lawmakers and legal analysts for his decision to pardon Hunter, an about-face from his earlier promises, and a sweeping protection that covers any federal crimes Hunter Biden “has committed or may have committed” from Jan. 1, 2014, through Dec. 1, 2024. 

In announcing the pardon, Biden criticized the unfair investigation and prosecution of his son, a process he said was “infected” by politics and led to a “miscarriage of justice.”

“No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son — and that is wrong,” the president said in a statement Sunday.

President Biden blasted a ruling by the Supreme Court earlier this year which he said essentially made it so there were ‘virtually no limits’ to presidential power. (Getty Images)

But some critics also cited fears that Biden’s pardon could further erode the public’s view of the Justice Department — giving credence to Trump’s frequent complaints that the Department of Justice is a political apparatus capable of being “weaponized,” rather than a department that strives to act independently and largely without political influence. 

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Biden is “essentially endorsing Trump’s long-held opinion that the Department of Justice is politicized and isn’t acting impartially,” longtime Republican strategist and communicator Ryan Williams told Fox News Digital of the pardon.

 Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump transition, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.

Here’s what’s happening…

-Five things to watch for on immigration and border security in 2025

-Trump asks about ‘J-6 Hostages’ in response to Biden’s pardon of Hunter: ‘Such an abuse’

-Republicans hammer Biden’s ‘No one is above the law’ claim following Hunter pardon: ‘Aged like fine milk’

KJP Defends Hunter Biden Pardon

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre faced the press for the first time Monday after President Biden pardoned his son Hunter – an outcome that both Biden and Jean-Pierre previously insisted multiple times would not happen.

One reporter asked Jeane-Pierre if those previous statements denying a pardon “could be seen as lies” to the American people.

“One thing the president believes is to always be truthful with the American people,” Jeane-Pierre said, repeatedly saying that Biden “wrestled with [the decision].”…Read more

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during a news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on April 9, 2024 in Washington, DC. Jean-Pierre and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan discussed the Connecticut Huskies winning the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament National Championship, Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida’s upcoming State visit to the White House, the ongoing hostage situation in Gaza and other topics. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Imag (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

White House

‘OVER-PROMISED’: Biden travels to Africa where policies were ‘over-promised and under-delivered,’ amid massive China expansion…Read more

‘LIAR’: Lawmakers harshly criticize Biden’s decision to pardon Hunter…Read more

‘THERE WAS NONE’: Special counsel denies ‘vindictive or selective’ prosecution in Hunter Biden case…Read more

BEG YOUR PARDON?: 2 times Biden said he would not pardon son Hunter Biden…Read more

President Joe Biden accompanied by his son Hunter Biden and his grandson Beau leave a book store as they walk in downtown Nantucket Mass., Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) ((AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

‘FAMILY AHEAD OF THE COUNTRY’: Dem Colorado governor criticizes Biden for Hunter pardon…Read more

EARLY CHRISTMAS GIFT: President Biden’s pardon of son Hunter a political gift for Trump…Read more

‘I BET YOU…’: Trump previously predicted Biden would pardon his son Hunter…Read more

‘A DISASTER’: Biden blocks new mining in region that produces about 40% of nation’s coal: ‘It’s a disaster’…Read more

DEFENSE DOUBLE DOWN: Biden still believes ‘no one is above the law,’ White House says in wake of Hunter pardon…Read more

JILL BIDEN SPEAKS: ‘Of course I support the pardon of my son,’ Jill Biden tells reporter…Read more

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrive on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, May 30, 2022, after returning from Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

PARTING GIFT: Biden administration to announce $725M weapons package to Ukraine months before Trump is sworn in…Read more

Trump Transition

‘CONSEQUENCES’: Trump victory boosts conservatives in Latin America, wake-up call to dictators: ‘there will be consequences’…Read more

CONSERVATIVE PUSHBACK: Thomas Massie, conservative commentators vocally oppose Trump’s DEA nominee…Read more

Trail Dust

‘HELP US IN THIS FIGHT’: Harris campaign still asking for donations weeks after massive loss to Trump…Read more

Capitol Hill

‘IRREPARABLY DAMAGED’: Mike Johnson unleashes on Biden’s handling of justice after Hunter pardon…Read more

‘IT’S A SETBACK’: Democrats criticize Biden over Hunter pardon…Read more

HOUSE STAFFER ARRESTED: US Capitol Police arrest House Democrat staff member after finding ammunition in bag…Read more

Unnamed U.S. senator contacted Capitol Police after allegedly receiving threatening voicemails. A U.S. Capitol Police badge is seen in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 5, 2022. (REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz)

DOWN TO THE WIRE: Single House race stands between Republicans and 1-seat majority…Read more

Across America

‘TRUMP-PROOFING’ CALIFORNIA: Newsom proposes $25M from state legislature to take on Trump administration in courts…Read more

REFUND THE POLICE: Experts see a tougher-on-crime shift in blue, purple states…Read more

CRISIS: New York City is home to nearly 60k ‘criminal’ migrants: Report…Read more

NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 11:  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), officers look to arrest an undocumented immigrant during an operation in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn on April 11, 2018 in New York City. New York is considered a “sanctuary city” for undocumented immigrants, and ICE receives little or no cooperation from local law enforcement.  ICE said that officers arrested 225 people for violation of immigration laws during the 6-day operation, the largest in New York City in recent years. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) ((Photo by John Moore/Getty Images))

‘NOT BASED ON SCIENCE’: COVID was ‘most likely’ leaked from Wuhan lab and social distancing had no basis in science: select committee…Read more

Get the latest updates on the Trump presidential transition, incoming Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

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.

HUNTER BIDEN SAYS HIS MISTAKES WERE ‘EXPLOITED’ FOR POLITICAL SPORT, HE WILL NEVER TAKE PARDON FOR GRANTED

Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, and his wife Melissa Cohen Biden, leave the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building on June 07, 2024 in Wilmington, Delaware. The trial for Hunter Biden’s felony gun charges continues today with additional witnesses. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

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.

TRUMP PREVIOUSLY PREDICTED BIDEN WOULD PARDON SON HUNTER

Hunter Biden spent the afternoon at the Malibu Farm Pier Cafe in Malibu, California on Thursday, September 7, 2023. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)

“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.

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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.

JONATHAN TURLEY: JOE BIDEN’S PARDON OF SON HUNTER CEMENTS HIS LEGACY AS LIAR IN CHIEF

President Joe Biden speaks after pardoning the national Thanksgiving turkey, Peach, during a pardoning ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024.  (Susan Walsh/AP Photo)

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. 

President-elect Trump promised there would be “all hell to pay” if the hostages being held captive by Hamas are not released prior to when he takes office on Jan. 20. 

In a Truth Social post, Trump said nothing was being done to free those being held by the Iran-backed terror group since Oct. 7, 2023, after Hamas attacked Israel and killed at least 1,200 people and kidnapped at least 250 others. 

At least seven of the hostages are Americans. 

ISRAEL DESTROYS HEZBOLLAH’S ‘LARGEST PRECISION-GUIDED MISSILES MANUFACTURING SITE’ 

President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Trump has promised “hell to pay” if hostages being held by Hamas are not released prior to when he takes office on Jan. 20. (AP/Sebastian Scheiner)

“Everybody is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire World, in the Middle East – But it’s all talk, and no action!” Trump wrote. 

“Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that if the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity,” Trump added. 

On Saturday, Hamas released a video of an Israeli-American hostage pleading for his release. 

The footage shows Edan Alexander, 20, covering his face and crying. He was abducted by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023. 

‘WAR FOLLOWED US’: A SYRIAN FAMILY FLED BEIRUT AFTER ISRAELI BOMBARDMENT TO FACE REPRESSION, BOMBING AT HOME 

Edan Alexander, born in Tel Aviv and raised in New Jersey, is currently being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. (Hostage Family Forum)

Alexander explained that he had been a prisoner for over 420 days and delivered forced messages to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump. Netanyahu spoke with Alexander’s family and is determined “to take every action to bring them back home,” his office said Monday. 

Trump said those responsible for taking the hostages “will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America.”

More than a year after the attacks, a permanent cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas remains elusive. Israeli forces continue to conduct military operations in Gaza. 

A cease-fire deal between Israel and Lebanon was reached in November following a year of attacks targeting Israel’s north by Hezbollah. On Monday, Israel said Hezbollah broke the cease-fire by launching two projectiles. No one was harmed. 

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“We are determined to continue to enforce the cease-fire, and to respond to any violation by Hezbollah – minor or serious,” Netanyahu said. 

A congressional subcommittee concluded its two-year investigation on the coronavirus pandemic on Monday, finding that COVID-19 likely originated from a lab in Wuhan, China, and that social distancing and masking were not backed with scientific data.

The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic released its final 520-page report that stated “COVID-19 most likely emerged from a laboratory in Wuhan, China.” 

In support of the “lab leak” theory, the report said the subcommittee learned that the virus had a biological characteristic that is not found in nature and that data showed all COVID-19 cases stemming from a single introduction to humans.

“By nearly all measures of science, if there was evidence of a natural origin it would have already surfaced,” the report says.

FAUCI RIPPED OVER NEW PAPER CRITICIZING TRUMP ON CORONAVIRUS, PROMOTING NATURAL ORIGIN THEORY: ‘EMBARRASSMENT’

Security personnel stand guard outside the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan as members of the World Health Organization (WHO) team investigating the origins of the COVID-19 coronavirus made a visit to the institute in Wuhan in China’s central Hubei province on Feb. 3, 2021. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

The report also noted that China’s foremost SARS research lab is in Wuhan, “which has a history of conducting gain-of-function research at inadequate biosafety levels,” and that researchers at the lab “were sick with a COVID-like virus in the fall of 2019, months before COVID-19 was discovered at the wet market.”

Initial rumors swirled at the beginning of the pandemic that China’s wet markets, which are known for selling meat, fish, produce and exotic animals in unsanitary conditions, were the origin of the virus.

The report stated there was “no conclusive evidence” that wearing masks protected Americans from COVID-19.  (Getty Images, File)

MANCHIN SLAMS ‘17 EDUCATED IDIOTS’ THAT WERE ADVISING BIDEN DURING COVID

The report also found that social distancing “was not based on science.”

“During closed door testimony, Dr. [Anthony] Fauci testified that the guidance, ‘sort of just appeared,’” the report states.

Dr. Anthony Fauci was the White House Chief Medical Advisor and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images, File)

Fauci was the public face of the federal government’s coronavirus pandemic response. He has faced intense criticism for his handling of the pandemic.

The subcommittee also found “no conclusive evidence” that wearing masks protected Americans from COVID-19. 

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The measures led to long-term impacts on American adults and children. The report found that unemployment skyrocketed and children “lost decades worth of academic progress.”

The White House today defended President Biden’s declaration in May that “no one is above the law” amid criticism of his sweeping pardon Sunday evening for son Hunter Biden following a yearslong legal saga revolving around two criminal cases. 

“Yes,” a White House official told Fox News Digital on Monday when asked if Biden still believes “no one is above the law” after pardoning his son. “As he said in his statement, he has deep respect for our justice system. And as a wide range of legal experts have pointed out, this pardon is indisputably within his authority and warranted by the facts of the case.”

Biden posted a message to X back on May 31, one day after President-elect Donald Trump was found guilty in the Manhattan criminal trial in May, that “No one is above the law.” 

BIDEN PARDONS SON HUNTER BIDEN AHEAD OF EXIT FROM OVAL OFFICE

President Biden speaks in the Rose Garden at the White House on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Following his pardon of Hunter Biden from a gun case and a tax case, conservatives and others resurrected the post on social media, with Reps. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and Eli Crane, R-Ariz., for example, quipping that the rule of law applies to all Americans, “Unless your last name is Biden.”

REPUBLICANS HAMMER BIDEN’S ‘NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW’ CLAIM FOLLOWING HUNTER PARDON: ‘AGED LIKE FINE MILK’

“You’ve been lied to every step of the way by this Administration and the corrupt Biden family. This is just the latest in their long coverup scheme. They never play by the same rules they force on everyone else. Disgraceful,” Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., declared in response to the old Biden post.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, posted, “This aged like fine milk.”

Hunter Biden departs the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building on June 3, 2024 in Wilmington, Delaware. Biden is standing trial for felony gun charges. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Biden’s May message that “no one is above the law” came as his son was preparing for his first criminal trial in Delaware, where he was accused of illegally purchasing a firearm. He was also facing another trial regarding the failure to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes. 

LAWMAKERS HARSHLY CRITICIZE BIDEN’S DECISION TO PARDON HUNTER: ‘LIAR’

Biden was found guilty on June 11 of lying about his drug use when purchasing a firearm in 2018. He was found guilty on three charges: making a false statement in the purchase of a gun, making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federally licensed gun dealer, and possession of a gun by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance. Hunter Biden had an extensive and well-documented history with addiction, which was best captured in his 2021 memoir “Beautiful Things,” which walked readers through his spirals with crack cocaine use. 

Hunter faced another trial regarding three felony tax offenses and six misdemeanor tax offenses regarding the failure to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes in a California court in September. As jury selection was about to kick off in Los Angeles federal court, Hunter entered a surprise guilty plea. 

President Biden, left, and his son, Hunter Biden, step off Air Force One, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023 at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, New York. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Earlier this year, President Biden had publicly pledged at least twice that he would not pardon his son over the charges. 

“Yes,” President Biden told ABC News when asked if he would rule out pardoning Hunter ahead of his guilty verdict in the gun case. 

TRUMP ASKS ABOUT ‘J-6 HOSTAGES’ IN RESPONSE TO BIDEN’S PARDON OF HUNTER: ‘SUCH AN ABUSE’

Days later, following a jury finding Hunter guilty in the firearm case, the president again said he would not pardon his son. 

“I am not going to do anything,” Biden said after Hunter was convicted. “I will abide by the jury’s decision.”

While conservatives lambasted Biden for pardoning his son after vowing he would not take that step, some attorneys came to Biden’s defense over the pardon, including Obama-era Attorney General Eric Holder. 

Biden wrote in his statement announcing the pardon that the prosecution of his son was politically motivated.

“It is clear that Hunter was treated differently,” Biden wrote in his statement. 

“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. Then, a carefully negotiated plea deal, agreed to by the Department of Justice, unraveled in the court room – with a number of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure on the process. Had the plea deal held, it would have been a fair, reasonable resolution of Hunter’s cases.”

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“For my entire career I have followed a simple principle: just tell the American people the truth. They’ll be fair-minded. Here’s the truth: I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice – and once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further. I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision,” the president added. 

Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report. 

The U.S. Capitol Police arrested a member of a House Democrat’s staff Thursday morning after he allegedly tried to bring ammunition into the Cannon House Office Building.

The office of Rep. Joe Morelle – who represents New York’s 25th Congressional District – told WROC that it is “fully committed to cooperating with the investigation.”

“At approximately 8:45 a.m., a House staffer entered the Cannon House Office Building and put his bag through screening. USCP officers noticed what appeared to be ammunition on the x-ray screen,” Capitol Police told Fox News in a statement. 

“After a hand search of the bag, officers found four ammunition magazines and eleven rounds of ammunition. The staffer told the officers that he forgot the ammunition was in the bag,” the statement continued.

FORMER LAWMAKER CALLS FOR COMPLETE ‘REBRAND’ OF ‘TOXIC’ DEMOCRATIC PARTY 

Rep. Joe Morelle speaks during a House Administration Committee hearing in March 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Capitol Police say Michael Hopkins, 38, is now facing charges for unlawful possession of ammunition, including one charge for possession of a high-capacity magazine.

Morelle’s office said Monday morning that it was gathering more information about the arrest.

DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKER CALLS ON PROGRESSIVES TO STOP LEAVING X 

Rep. Joe Morelle interviews witnesses during a House Rules Committee hearing on the impeachment against President Trump, on Dec. 17. 2019. (Jason Andrew/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

“As Ranking Member of the Committee on House Administration, Congressman Morelle is devoted to ensuring a safe and secure workplace for all,” their statement added.

Morelle’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Fox News Digital.

The U.S. Capitol Police took the staff member into custody on Monday morning. (Reuters/Elizabeth Frantz)

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Morelle’s district includes the city of Rochester. 

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre faced the press for the first time Monday after President Biden pardoned his son Hunter – an outcome that both Biden and Jean-Pierre previously insisted multiple times would not happen.

One reporter asked Jeane-Pierre if those previous statements denying a pardon “could be seen as lies” to the American people.

“One thing the president believes is to always be truthful with the American people,” Jeane-Pierre said, repeatedly saying that Biden “wrestled with [the decision].”

Jeane-Pierre was peppered with questions about the pardon and why Biden decided to go forward with it this weekend, mostly repeating many points in the president’s statement from Sunday night, such as Hunter was “singled out politically.”

TRUMP ASKS ABOUT ‘J-6’ HOSTAGES IN RESPONSE TO BIDEN’S PARDON OF HUNTER: ‘SUCH AN ABUSE’

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre had repeatedly insisted President Biden had no plans to pardon his son during her tenure in the administration. (AP/Evan Vucci, File)

Jean-Pierre took questions from reporters while aboard Air Force One en route to Luanda, Angola, where Biden was taking a three-day trip to highlight a U.S.-backed railway project in Zambia, Congo and Angola that he has pushed as a new approach in countering China’s influence and dominance of Africa’s critical minerals.

Jean-Pierre had denied Biden was considering a pardon six times since July 2023. The denials came even as Hunter was being prosecuted.

Jean-Pierre last repeated that her answer had not changed in November, shortly after President-elect Trump won the 2024 presidential election.

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“We’ve been asked that question multiple times. Our answer stands, which is no,” the press secretary said at the time.

Fox News Digital’s Lindsay Kornick and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

President-elect Donald Trump predicted back in October that President Biden would pardon his son Hunter. 

Trump, speaking to Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin on the sidelines of a campaign rally in Arizona, was asked, “If you are president again, in the name of unity, would you consider pardoning Hunter Biden?” 

“I wouldn’t do anything that would be over in terms of Hunter. It’s a sad situation,” Trump responded. 

“I’ll bet you the father probably pardons him, let’s see what happens, but he’s a bad boy, there is no question about it,” Trump added. 

TRUMP ASKS ABOUT ‘J-6 HOSTAGES’ IN RESPONSE TO BIDEN’S PARDON OF HUNTER 

President-elect Donald Trump predicted to Fox News in October that President Biden would pardon his son Hunter. (Fox News)

On Sunday, President Biden accused Republicans of unfair treatment and claimed Hunter was “treated differently” by prosecutors in announcing his decision to pardon his son. 

Hunter Biden was convicted of three felony firearm offenses in a Delaware trial earlier this year and then pleaded guilty to multiple felony tax offenses in September.  

“From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,” the president’s statement read. 

2 TIMES BIDEN SAID HE WOULD NOT PARDON SON HUNTER BIDEN 

Hunter Biden and his wife Melissa Cohen Biden leave the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building on June 7 in Wilmington, Delaware. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“Without aggravating factors like use in a crime, multiple purchases, or buying a weapon as a straw purchaser, people are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form,” he continued. “Those who were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions, but paid them back subsequently with interest and penalties, are typically given non-criminal resolutions.” 

Biden also evoked Hunter’s battle with substance abuse and asked Americans to “understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.” 

President Biden, left, pardoned his son Hunter Biden on Sunday, Dec. 1. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

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“There has been an effort to break Hunter – who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution,” the president continued. “In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me – and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough.” 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom will convene the state legislature for a special emergency session Monday to propose a “Trump-proof” legal defense fund of up to $25 million for the state’s justice department.

Newsom said in a statement the Golden State “is a tent pole of the country … protecting and investing in rights and freedoms for all people” and that officials “will work with the incoming administration and we want President Trump to succeed in serving all Americans.” 

“But when there is overreach, when lives are threatened, when rights and freedoms are targeted, we will take action,” Newsom said. “And that is exactly what this special session is about – setting this state up for success, regardless of who is in the White House.”

PROPOSITION 36 OVERWHELMINGLY PASSES IN CALIFORNIA, REVERSING SOME SOROS-BACKED SOFT-ON-CRIME POLICIES

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, left, is a longtime critic of President-elect Donald Trump and is believed to be a potential 2028 presidential hopeful. (Getty/AP)

State lawmakers, who are majority Democratic, are expected to introduce the proposed legislation in the coming weeks. Officials anticipate the legislation will be signed into law before Inauguration Day on Jan. 20.

Between 2017 and 2021, California’s Department of Justice led 122 lawsuits against Trump administration policies, spending $42 million on litigation. Newsom’s office said in one case, the federal government was ordered to reimburse California nearly $60 million in public safety grants.

While California filed over 100 lawsuits against the Trump administration, President-elect Donald Trump lobbed only four major lawsuits against the state. In 2018, Trump’s DOJ filed a lawsuit over three California sanctuary state laws that restricted cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. That same year, Trump sued California for its state-level net neutrality law.

TRUMP PLANNING TO LIFT BIDEN’S LNG PAUSE, INCREASE OIL DRILLING DURING 1ST DAYS IN OFFICE: REPORT

The California Capitol, shown in this 2022 photo, will host a special session in December 2024, called by Gov. Gavin Newsom in response to President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

In 2019, Trump also filed a lawsuit against California’s vehicle emissions standards, attempting to revoke California’s ability to set its own emissions rules. The Trump administration also sued California over its controversial independent contractor law, AB 5, in 2020. 

California, a sanctuary state for illegal immigrants, abortion procedures and transgender transition treatments for children, could be targeted by the Trump administration, especially considering Trump’s mass deportation plan of illegal immigrants. 

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Meanwhile, Republican state Sen. Brian Jones, who serves as the upper chamber’s minority leader, said last month the special session “is clearly just another political stunt” and a “desperate attempt to distract from Democrats’ significant losses across California on Tuesday — in the state Senate, state Assembly, U.S. House, and on key ballot measures, including Prop 5’s defeat and Prop 36’s overwhelming win.”

“Californians have made it clear: affordability is their top concern,” Jones said. “Yet, even with the massive deficit he created, Gov. Newsom wants to hand his attorney general a blank check to wage endless battles against the federal government — while our own state is on fire, both literally and metaphorically.”

President Biden had stated he would not pardon his son Hunter Biden multiple times before reversing course on Sunday, ultimately granting clemency to Hunter for all offenses against the United States he committed or may have committed from Jan. 1, 2024, to Dec. 1, 2024. 

On June 6, Biden said he would not pardon Hunter during an interview with ABC News anchor David Muir in Normandy, France, on the 80th anniversary of D-Day. 

Regarding President-elect Trump’s conviction in the Manhattan “hush-money” trial, Biden told “MAGA Republicans” to “Stop undermining the rule of law. Stop undermining the institutions.” 

Muir, noting Hunter was in the midst of a federal trial himself at the time, then asked Biden, “Will you accept the jury’s outcome no matter what it is?” 

“Yes,” Biden said flatly.

REPUBLICANS HAMMER BIDEN’S ‘NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW’ CLAIM FOLLOWING HUNTER PARDON: ‘AGED LIKE FINE MILK’

“Have you ruled out a pardon for your son?” Muir asked. 

President Biden and son Hunter Biden stepping out of a bookstore while shopping in Nantucket, Massachusetts on Nov. 29, 2024.  (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Again, the president responded, “Yes.”

About a week later, Biden told a news conference on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in Italy that he would not use his presidential powers to lessen Hunter’s sentence. 

A sentencing date for Hunter’s conviction on federal gun charges had not been set at the time, though the three counts carried up to 25 years in prison. 

U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika, who was nominated by Trump, would have made the decision. 

LAWMAKERS HARSHLY CRITICIZE BIDEN’S DECISION TO PARDON HUNTER: ‘LIAR’

“I’m extremely proud of my son Hunter. He has overcome an addiction. He is one of the brightest, most decent men I know,” Biden said during the press conference on June 13. “I abide by the jury decision. I will do that, and I will not pardon him.”

Biden, who will leave office on Jan. 20, on Sunday granted Hunter a “full and unconditional pardon” for offenses against the United States “which he has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024.” That includes, but is not limited to, those prosecuted by Special Counsel David Weiss. 

Hunter Biden and his wife Melissa Cohen leave court after his guilty plea in his trail on tax evasion in Los Angeles, California, on Sept. 5, 2024. (ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

“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,” Biden said in a statement. “Then, a carefully negotiated plea deal, agreed to by the Department of Justice, unraveled in the court room – with a number of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure on the process. Had the plea deal held, it would have been a fair, reasonable resolution of Hunter’s cases.” 

 “There has been an effort to break Hunter – who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution,” he added. “In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me – and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here.” 

Hunter Biden was supposed to be sentenced this month in two federal cases, which the special counsel brought after a plea deal with prosecutors that likely would have spared him prison time fell apart under scrutiny by a judge. Under the original deal, Hunter was supposed to plead guilty to misdemeanor tax offenses and would have avoided prosecution in a gun case as long as he stayed out of trouble for two years.

The plea hearing quickly unraveled last year when the judge raised concerns about unusual aspects of the deal. Hunter was subsequently indicted in the two cases.

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Hunter Biden was convicted in June in Delaware federal court of three felonies for purchasing a gun in 2018 when, prosecutors said, he lied on a federal form by claiming he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs. He had been set to stand trial in September in a California case accusing him of failing to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes, but he agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor and felony charges in a surprise move hours after jury selection was set to begin.

House Republicans also sought to use Hunter’s history of overseas business ventures in a since-abandoned attempt to impeach his father, who has long denied involvement in his son’s dealings or benefiting from them in any way.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

On the heels of President Joe Biden’s move to pardon his son Hunter Biden, several Republican lawmakers highlighted a post on X from earlier this year in which the president had asserted, “No one is above the law.”

Reps. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and Eli Crane, R-Ariz., both shared Biden’s post and commented, “Unless your last name is Biden.”

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tx., tweeted, “This aged like fine milk.”

LAWMAKERS HARSHLY CRITICIZE BIDEN’S DECISION TO PARDON HUNTER: ‘LIAR’

President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden hug on stage at the conclusion of the first day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on Aug. 19, 2024. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

“You’ve been lied to every step of the way by this Administration and the corrupt Biden family. This is just the latest in their long coverup scheme. They never play by the same rules they force on everyone else. Disgraceful,” Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., declared in response to the old Biden tweet.

In a statement on Sunday, President Biden noted that he had signed the pardon.

“From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,” the president said in the statement.

BIDEN PARDONS SON HUNTER BIDEN AHEAD OF EXIT FROM OVAL OFFICE

Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, arrives at the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building on June 6, 2024, in Wilmington, Delaware.  (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The “Full and Unconditional Pardon” the president granted to Hunter covers “… offenses against the United States which he has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024 … ” the pardon declares.

President-elect Donald Trump sounded off in a post on Truth Social.

TRUMP ASKS ABOUT ‘J-6 HOSTAGES’ IN RESPONSE TO BIDEN’S PARDON OF HUNTER: ‘SUCH AN ABUSE’

Hunter Biden arrives at the Thomas P. O’Neil Jr. House Office Building for a closed door deposition on Feb. 28, 2024 in Washington D.C.  (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Congressional Integrity Project)

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“Does the Pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years? Such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!” Trump declared.

First son Hunter Biden said Sunday after his father, President Joe Biden, pardoned him that he has “taken responsibility” for his mistakes which have been “exploited to publicly humiliate and shame me and my family for political sport.”

Hunter Biden, 54, was convicted in two separate federal cases earlier this year — he was first found guilty in June on three felony charges for federal gun violations and pleaded guilty in September in a separate felony tax case.

“I have admitted and taken responsibility for my mistakes during the darkest days of my addiction — mistakes that have been exploited to publicly humiliate and shame me and my family for political sport,” Hunter Biden said in a statement to Fox News. “Despite all of this, I have maintained my sobriety for more than five years because of my deep faith and the unwavering love and support of my family and friends.”

“In the throes of addiction, I squandered many opportunities and advantages,” he continued. “In recovery we can be given the opportunity to make amends where possible and rebuild our lives if we never take for granted the mercy that we have been afforded. I will never take the clemency I have been given today for granted and will devote the life I have rebuilt to helping those who are still sick and suffering.”

BIDEN PARDONS SON HUNTER BIDEN AHEAD OF EXIT FROM WHITE HOUSE

Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, departs the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building on June 3, 2024, in Wilmington, Delaware. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The president’s pardon of his son, which was announced by the White House on Sunday night, applies to offenses against the U.S. that Hunter Biden “has committed or may have committed” from Jan. 1, 2014, to Dec. 1, 2024.

“Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter,” Biden said in a statement. “From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted.”

The outgoing president also argued that his son was “treated differently” in his criminal cases.

“Without aggravating factors like use in a crime, multiple purchases, or buying a weapon as a straw purchaser, people are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form,” the statement said. “Those who were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions, but paid them back subsequently with interest and penalties, are typically given non-criminal resolutions. It is clear that Hunter was treated differently.”

President Biden further said that the cases against his son only came due to Republicans’ opposition to him and his 2020 election win against President-elect Donald Trump.

“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,” the president said. “Then, a carefully negotiated plea deal, agreed to by the Department of Justice, unraveled in the court room – with a number of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure on the process. Had the plea deal held, it would have been a fair, reasonable resolution of Hunter’s cases.”

BIDEN WON’T PARDON HUNTER, WHITE HOUSE REAFFIRMS, BUT CRITICS AREN’T SO SURE

President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden hug on stage at the conclusion of the first day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on August 19, 2024. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

“No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son — and that is wrong,” he continued. “There has been an effort to break Hunter — who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me — and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough.”

The president additionally blamed “raw politics” for the prosecutions against his son.

“For my entire career I have followed a simple principle: just tell the American people the truth,” he said. “They’ll be fair-minded. Here’s the truth: I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice – and once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further.”

He concluded: “I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.”

A court document obtained by Fox News showed that Hunter Biden signed his name on a legal acknowledgment of the pardon.

President Biden’s decision to pardon his son is a departure from multiple statements he made to the media over the summer in which he claimed he would not pardon the first son.

Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, attends an event celebrating the 2024 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington D.C., on September 30, 2024. (Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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In the gun case, Hunter Biden was found guilty of making a false statement in the purchase of a gun, making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federally licensed gun dealer, and possession of a gun by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.

Prosecutors specifically sought to prove that he lied on a federal firearm form in October 2018, when he checked a box for “No” when asked if he is an unlawful user of substances or addicted to controlled substances.

The other trial regarded three felony tax offenses and six misdemeanor tax offenses over the failure to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes. As jury selection was about to kick off in Los Angeles federal court, Hunter Biden entered a guilty plea.

Trump previously said on the campaign trail that he would consider pardoning Hunter Biden.