Bill Clinton defended his decision to pardon his half-brother Roger Clinton, drawing a sharp contrast to Biden’s recent pardon of his son, Hunter Biden.
Speaking at the New York Times DealBook Summit on Wednesday, Clinton highlighted that his brother had served time and contributed to justice before receiving a pardon, a nuance that, he implies, did not apply in Hunter Biden’s case.
Clinton pardoned Roger Clinton during his presidency after his half-brother had already served time for a 1985 conviction on drug charges. Roger, then in his 20s, had pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute cocaine and spent 14 months in federal prison.
Bill Clinton emphasized that the pardon was intended to restore his brother’s rights as a citizen, notably the right to vote, which had been stripped due to his felony status.
Speaking at the Summit, Bill Clinton said that Roger’s pardon followed a completed sentence and that his brother had cooperated with authorities in dismantling a larger drug operation.
In a careful critique that avoided direct criticism of Biden, Bill Clinton said:
Well, I think that the President did have reason to believe that the nature of the offenses involved were likely to produce far stronger adverse consequences for his son than they would for any normal person under the same circumstances.
But I would urge all of you to just look at the facts before you make a judgment and see what they’re talking about and what the context is. Which is because I’m still reading.
Somebody said, “Well, this is just like when Bill Clinton pardoned his brother.” Well, it’s not.
My brother did 14 months in the federal prison for something he did when he was 20. I supported it. He testified, told the truth about what he’d done when he had a drug problem, and helped to bring down a larger enterprise. They sentenced him, and then he served 14 months.
WATCH:
BILL CLINTON: HUNTER’S PARDON IS NOTHING LIKE THE ONE I GAVE MY BROTHER
“Somebody said this is just like when Bill Clinton pardoned his brother.
Well, it’s not. My brother did 14 months in federal prison for something he did when he was 20, and I supported it.
And he… pic.twitter.com/zcukwdJtuV
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) December 8, 2024
