Trump Criticized About His Son's Death, Biden No Comment

JAKARTA - United States (US) President Joe Biden did not answer reporters' questions about pardoning his son Hunter Biden when he landed in Tanjung Verde to stop for a while on his way to Angola.

Joe Biden, whose term ends in January, flew from Washington shortly after pardoning Hunter, who pleaded guilty to tax offenses and was convicted of charges related to firearms.

As reported by Reuters on Monday, December 2, President Biden did not respond to questions about this issue from journalists on the runway of Amilcar Cabral International Airport.

Biden is scheduled to hold a meeting with the Prime Minister of the archipelago of Ulisses Correia e Silva, who welcomed him at the airport.

The White House praised Tanjung Verde as a "stable democratic government model" and said Tanjung Verde has become a consistent partner with the United States in the fields of global health, security, and other issues.

Biden, who made his only visit to Sub-Saharan Africa as US president, is scheduled to fly from Tanjung Verde shortly after his meeting to the capital Angola, Luanda, where he will focus on a US-backed rail project aimed at diverting critical lanes. minerals from China.

The project, partly funded by US loans, connects the resource-rich Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia with the port of Lobito in Angola in the Atlantic Ocean, thus offering fast and efficient export routes to Western countries.

United States President-elect Donald Trump sees the incumbent move by White House leader Joe Biden to pardon his son Hunter Biden as abuse and injustice of law.

Apart from Trump, his Republican colleagues also criticized President Biden's pardon steps.

"Does Joe's pardon for Hunter include Hostage J-6, which has now been jailed for years? Really abuse and injustice!" Trump said in a death on his Truth Social site, referring to those convicted of storming the US Capitol Building on January 6, 2021, after Trump mistakenly claimed he had won the 2020 general election.

Earlier, President Biden on Sunday announced that he had signed Hunter's pardon, arguing in a statement that accusations against his son had surfaced for political reasons.

"No one with common sense who sees the facts of Hunter's case can reach other conclusions besides Hunter was chosen just because he is my son and that's wrong," President Biden said in a statement, quoted by The Hill.

"There has been an attempt to destroy Hunter, who has been conscious for five and a half years, even in the face of relentless attacks and selective prosecutions," he said.

"In an attempt to destroy Hunter, they have tried to destroy me and there is no reason to believe that it will stop here. That's enough," added Biden.