Haley on Biden's pardon reversal: 'He thought he was going to be president again

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley (R) recently weighed in on the reason behind President Biden's decision to pardon his son Hunter, pointing to the twists and turns of the presidential election cycle.

Biden, who announced on Sunday that he would offer clemency to Hunter Biden for his federal gun and tax charges, had previously vowed to stay out of his son's legal battles. The reversal, the White House said, was related to President-elect Trump's retaliation rhetoric.

“He said it over and over and over again. He said that he wasn't going to pardon his son," Haley, who challenged the president-elect in the GOP presidential primary before dropping out, said Friday on her SiriusXM show. "So for all of those people who say, ‘but he's a parent,’ I feel that like we would do anything for our kids, but he didn't have to say that."

“And so, one you have to ask yourself, why did he say he wasn't and then suddenly did? I think it's because he thought he was going to be president again and he was going to be able to push the verdict in whatever way he wanted," she added later.

Haley said Biden likely assumed either he or Vice President Harris would win the 2024 presidential election, therefore allowing him to delay sentencing in the younger Biden's gun charge, which would have taken place later this month.

“He was going to make sure he never served time. That's why I think he did it is all along he assumed he would be president. or all along he assumed, Kamala would be president, and he could still push, and I think when that didn't happen,” she said Friday.

“I think, push came to shove, and then there you go, he had to do it,” Haley added. 

Biden withdrew his reelection bid in late July, bringing an end to a 50-year-long political career, and endorsed Harris to lead the ticket. The decision came after pressure from fellow Democrats to step aside following an abysmal debate performance against Trump in June.

The vice president's momentum was strong at the onset of the campaign, but the race was ultimately called for Trump.

The president-elect, whose threats of revenge have been in the spotlight, also criticized the president for issuing a pardon to his son. Trump called the move "an abuse and miscarriage of justice."

Apart from granting clemency to Hunter, Biden has also been in discussions with his team about issuing preemptive pardons for some vocal Trump critics, according to a source familiar with the matter. Democrats, who are seemingly split on the idea, have pressed the president to grant more pardons.