On Saturday, future President Donald Trump announced Kash Patel would lead the FBI. On Sunday, current President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter. Coincidence? The Washington Post’s Matt Viser and The Atlantic’s Elaina Plott Calabro explain. This episode was produced by Miles Bryan and Amanda Lewellyn, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked by Kim Eggleston, engineered by Patrick Boyd and Rob Byers, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram. Transcript at vox.com/today-explained-podcast Support Today, Explained by becoming a Vox Member today: http://www.vox.com/members President Joe Biden hugs son Hunter Biden after ending his run for a second term this summer. Photo by Evan Vucci-Pool/Getty Images. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Distinguished guests, please welcome the President of the United States, accompanied by National Turkey Federation Chairman John Zimmerman and his son Grant.
President Biden kicked off the week of Thanksgiving with a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House.
He came out in his aviators.
It was a Sunny Day in D.C.
everyone knew what he was about to do and what he's about to say.
He was going to pardon a turkey.
Good morning.
You tell me there's 2,500 people here today looking for a pardon.
President Biden closed out Thanksgiving week with a written statement and took a lot of people by surprise because he did something he promised he would not do over and over again.
He said he would not pardon his son Hunter.
And then he did.
We're going to try and figure out why on TODAY explained.
Matt Viser, you report on the White House for the Washington Post.
Joe Biden pardoned his son on Sunday.
What does that mean exactly?
It basically absolves Hunter from all of the legal cloud that has been around him for the past several years.
But it's even bigger than that.
I mean, it's more sweeping.
This pardon basically protects Hunter from any legal prosecution over almost a decade long period from 2014 up until Sunday night at midnight.
So anything that Hunter did during that time period, he cannot be federally prosecuted for.