Trump says ‘hell to pay’ if Gaza hostages not released by inauguration; Biden’s pardon rattles Washington: Live
President-elect threatens ‘those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity’ if hostages in Gaza are not freed by his inauguration
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump has threatened “all hell to pay” if the remaining hostages in Gaza are not released by Hamas before his inauguration on January 20, 2025.
The president-elect posted on Truth Social: “Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America.”
Trump dined with Sara Netanyahu, wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the weekend.
Meanwhile, Trump suggested he will free the January 6 Capitol rioters as he slammed President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter Biden as a “miscarriage of Justice.”
On Sunday, Biden announced he had pardoned his son following his federal gun conviction, saying Hunter had been “selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted” by the Justice Department.
Biden previously insisted he would not pardon his son. The White House has defended his decision.
Biden’s decision has divided critics. Colorado’s Democratic Governor Jared Polis said he was “disappointed that he put his family ahead of the country” while Watergate prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks said Hunter “would not ever be prosecuted for the gun crime but for his last name.”
President Biden issues pardon for son Hunter Biden despite pledging not to do so
Trump slams Hunter Biden’s presidential pardon as an ‘an abuse and miscarriage of Justice’
Democrat Chris Murphy says ‘no question’ Biden refusal to drop out hurt Harris
Bernie Sanders praises DOGE boss Elon Musk over defense spending
Dem-aligned Fox News commentator says Trump will pardon ‘anyone he wants'
Jessica Tarlov, a Democratic-aligned commentator on the Fox News channel, argued Sunday evening that it was wrong to blame Joe Biden for pardons Donald Trump goes on to issue under his presidency beginning in January.
Those pardons, Tarlov argued on Twitter, were going to happen regardless, as they did during his first term in office: “Trump was going to pardon anyone he wants no matter what. Anyone pretending otherwise isn’t credible.”
During the final days of his first term, Trump issued pardons for the likes of Steve Bannon as well as right-wing fraudster Dinesh D’Souza.
Watch: President Joe Biden issues controversial pardon to son Hunter
Trump blasts Hunter Biden pardon as ‘an abuse and miscarriage of Justice’
Donald Trump blasted Hunter Biden’s presidential pardon, issued by his father on Sunday as “an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!”
Posting in typical fashion to his social media platform, the President-elect wrote: “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!”
Democratic Colorado Governor ‘disappointed’ by Biden’s pardon
Colorado’s governor, Jared Polis, became one of the first prominent Democrats to publicly rebuke the president on Sunday after the pardon of Hunter Biden was announced. More are likely to follow.
“While as a father I certainly understand President @JoeBiden’s natural desire to help his son by pardoning him, I am disappointed that he put his family ahead of the country,” tweeted the governor. “This is a bad precedent that could be abused by later Presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation.”
He continued, invoking Latin: “When you become President, your role is Pater familias of the nation. Hunter brought the legal trouble he faced on himself, and one can sympathize with his struggles while also acknowledging that no one is above the law, not a President and not a President’s son.”
Polis's tweet prompted a response from Eric Holder, former attorney general under Barack Obama's presidency.
"Look at the underlying facts and usual DOJ practice Governor," wrote Holder
Republican head of Judiciary Committee expresses disbelief at Biden pardon
Chuck Grassley, lead Republican senator on the Judiciary Committee, expressed his disbelief at the president going back on his word not to pardon his son.
“I’m shocked [President] Biden pardoned his son Hunter [because] he said many many times he wouldn’t, [and] I believed him,” tweeted the senator. “Shame on me.”
Grassley has long held respect for the president and was one of the senators on the GOP side whom Joe Biden and other Democrats often found amicable to work with. His rebuke of the president is sign of how the move by the president is likely to fray trust with even establishment Republicans and some Democratic allies of the White House.
Marjorie Taylor Greene criticizes Hunter Biden’s presidential pardon
Former US attorney general says Hunter’s pardon is ‘warranted'
Former US attorney general Eric Holder says that Hunter Biden’s pardon by his father was “warranted.”
“Here’s the reality,” he wrote on X. “No USAtty (attorney) would have charged this case given the underlying facts. After a 5 year investigation the facts as discovered only made that clear.
“Had his name been Joe Smith the resolution would have been - fundamentally and more fairly - a declination. Pardon warranted.”
Holder went on to take aim at Donald Trump’s nomination for FBI Director, writing: “Ask yourself a vastly more important question. Do you really think Kash Patel is qualified to lead the world’s preeminent law enforcement investigative organization? Obvious answer: hell no.”
James Comer accuses Bidens of doing ‘everything they can to avoid accountability'
Following the announcement of Hunter Biden’s presidential pardon, House Oversight chair James Comer released a statement in which he claimed the president’s decision was an example that the Bidens were continuing to do “everything they can to avoid accountability.”
“Joe Biden has lied from start to finish about his family’s corrupt influence peddling activities. Not only has he falsely claimed that he never met with his son’s foreign business associates and that his son did nothing wrong, but he also lied when he said he would not pardon Hunter Biden.
The charges Hunter faced were just the tip of the iceberg in the blatant corruption that President Biden and the Biden Crime Family have lied about to the American people. It’s unfortunate that, rather than come clean about their decades of wrongdoing, President Biden and his family continue to do everything they can to avoid accountability.”
Full statement from Hunter Biden
Here is the full statement from Hunter Biden, following his presidential pardon.
"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.
“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.
“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."
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