On Tuesday, Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University, explained how Hunter Biden might face additional charges that wouldn’t be covered by President Joe Biden’s pardon. Joe Biden issued a “full and unconditional” pardon for his son, Hunter Biden, on Sunday. The pardon covers any crimes he has been charged with or may have committed between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024. This includes potential charges related to an alleged influence-peddling scheme during Hunter’s tenure on the board of a now-defunct Ukrainian gas company.
Turley stated on “Fox & Friends” that Hunter may face charges if called to testify before Congress regarding the alleged influence peddling scheme and could be charged with perjury for making false statements. “The president clearly is hoping that he’s given [Hunter] this sweeping protection and that includes unnamed crimes, quite literally, Hunter Biden could have six heads in a duffle bag in his basement and [the pardon] would cover it as long as he committed those murders during this ten-year period,” Turley began. “This, by the way, would not protect him from state charges. But it’s a sweeping pardon that we haven’t seen really the likes of since [former] President [Richard] Nixon, it’s pretty unprecedented in that respect.
“The problem is that Hunter could be called before Congress. Congress has committees that are still looking into the influence peddling scandal involving millions and millions of dollars,” Turley continued. “He could be called to testify, last time he did that, the House accused him of being misleading, even false in his testimony. If he commits perjury again, it’s a new crime and this pardon will not have an impact and he could face additional charges.”
WATCH:
House Republicans initiated an impeachment inquiry in September 2023 to investigate whether President Biden was involved in an alleged influence-peddling scheme tied to his son Hunter Biden’s overseas business dealings in Ukraine, China, and Romania. President Biden’s recent pardon shields Hunter from any crimes committed during his time on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian gas company.
In June, House Republicans on the Oversight, Judiciary, and Ways and Means Committees submitted criminal referrals to the Department of Justice, recommending that Hunter Biden and his uncle, James Biden, be charged with making false statements to Congress. These allegations relate to key aspects of the impeachment inquiry into the president. The committee chairmen argued that the purported falsehoods warrant further investigation. The chairmen said that the alleged false statements appeared to be “a calculated effort to shield” Biden from the investigation.
In January, members of the Oversight and Judiciary Committees introduced a resolution recommending that Hunter Biden be held in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with congressional subpoenas by not appearing for a closed-door deposition on December 13. This noncompliance is classified as a misdemeanor offense.
In June, a Delaware jury convicted Hunter Biden on three felony charges stemming from his 2018 purchase of a firearm while knowingly being addicted to drugs and providing false information on a gun purchase form. Additionally, he faced up to 17 years in prison on nine charges related to his alleged failure to pay $1.4 million in taxes between 2016 and 2019 in California.
