JILL SENDING JIM CLYBURN UNDER THE BUS? White House blames Rep. Jim Clyburn for convincing Biden to pardon Hunter.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday that Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) played a key role in convincing President Biden to pardon his son Hunter.
Jean-Pierre claimed Biden, 82, “wrestled” with the decision to pardon his son for any and all crimes he committed between 2014 and 2024 — but it was a visit by Clyburn, 84, that tipped the scales and led the president to go back on his repeated promises not to do so.
“You heard this president say this many times before, he believes when it comes to his family, when it comes to how he moves forward, about thinking about his family, they’re the beginning, the middle and the end,” Jean-Pierre said.
“And he wrestled with this. It was not an easy thing for him to decide.”
A federal jury convicted Hunter, 54, in June of three felony charges after he lied on a gun purchase form in 2018, claiming he was not using or addicted to drugs when in fact he had an active crack cocaine habit at the time.
A sentencing hearing in the case had been set for Dec. 12.
Clyburn, who has long had President Biden’s ear, spoke with the lame-duck commander in chief two weeks ago and pushed for Hunter’s pardon, according to Jean-Pierre.
“This is Clyburn’s words: ‘The president was reticent’ when he tried to encourage him to pardon Hunter. … I think that’s important to note,” the White House press secretary said.
Jean-Pierre referenced Biden’s conversation with Clyburn several times more throughout the briefing, suggesting it was a major turning point for the president as he mulled going back on his promise to the American people.
Flashback to March 15, 2020: James Clyburn wants Joe Biden to pick an African American woman for vice president.
Clyburn is widely credited with saving Biden’s campaign following his endorsement in the South Carolina Democratic primaries.
“I’ll never tell you who I’m going to advise him,” Clyburn said in the interview, “but I would advise him that we need to have a woman on the ticket, and I prefer an African American woman.”
And we all know how that ultimately worked out last month, and of the alleged – very frequently alleged – feud between Jill and Kalama.
