Foreign affairs expert Abhijit Iyer-Mitra on Monday reacted to US President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter in alleged gun and tax fraud charges. He called it an ‘acknowledgment of the political nature of the American justice system.’
Reacting to US indictment on Adani, Iyer-Mitra said, “It was 100% political. What has been alleged in that indictment is a joke. We have known from day 1 that this was clear political interference because the gentleman who brought it – Breon Peace, is a political appointee.”
“What Joe Biden’s pardoning of his son has done is it’s the first time that somebody on the top, no less than the President himself, has finally admitted what we have always known – which is the American system is a completely political system,” Iyer-Mitra stated.
He compared the pardon to previous high-profile legal cases, including the arrest of Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade in New York by former US Attorney Preet Bharara. He suggested that such cases often serve to elevate the profiles of US attorneys pursuing political careers.
“You remember what happened with Preet Bharara arresting Devyani Khobragade, our diplomat in New York? These attorneys have to come on the news; they have to become household names, and they need publicity. So, they need to pursue a political agenda because they are all up for political office out there,” he remarked.
Iyer-Mitra also pointed out that most US Presidents were “lawyers”, implying that law serves as a stepping stone to political power.
#WATCH | On US President Joe Biden pardoning his son Hunter Biden who faced sentencing this month on gun crime and tax convictions, Foreign Affairs Expert Abhijit Iyer-Mitra says "It (US indictment on Adani) was 100% political…What has been alleged in that indictment is a… pic.twitter.com/j9kWM7o104
— ANI (@ANI) December 2, 2024
Businessman Suhel Seth also reacted to US President Joe Biden pardoning his son Hunter. He said, “Yesterday, Joe Biden’s unconditional pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, is a travesty of the American justice system. The Department of Justice is weaponized in the United States. We saw what happened with Donald J. Trump. The same judge who indicted Donald J. Trump has now withdrawn the case. So it is an unholy mess.”
On Adani issue, he remarked, “What have we seen with Adanis? First, they issue a press statement that Mr Adani has been named. Then they issue another statement that their names are not there.”
#WATCH | Kolkata, West Bengal: On US President Joe Biden pardons his son Hunter Biden, Businessman Suhel Seth says "Yesterday, Joe Biden's unconditional pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, is a travesty of the American justice system…The Department of Justice is weaponized in the… pic.twitter.com/1zDj2zG13r
— ANI (@ANI) December 2, 2024
Reacting to the same, Former diplomat, Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha said, “I must say that I was a bit surprised to read his statement in which he pardoned his son, having in the past said that he would not exercise this Right of Pardon for his son. It is a delicious irony that the same Department of Justice has indicted captains of industry in India of a very big group, accusing them of not bribing but of planning to bribe state governments in India.”
#WATCH | Delhi: On US President Joe Biden pardoning his son Hunter Biden who faced sentencing this month on gun crime and tax convictions, former diplomat, Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha says, "…I must say that I was a bit surprised to read his statement in which he pardoned his son,… pic.twitter.com/ROHOHc2TmJ
— ANI (@ANI) December 2, 2024
Earlier on Sunday, US President Joe Biden signed a pardon for his son, Robert Hunter Biden, who had been convicted on charges related to gun crimes and tax violations. The pardon ensures that Hunter Biden will not face sentencing for these offences and removes the possibility of prison time.
