In a rather embarrassing turn of events for the US-based Newsweek magazine, it cited a joke by a popular parody account Parik Patel, as an actual quote from the father of President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for FBI director Kash Patel. The ‘quote’ citing the tweet from the parody account was published in one of its reports titled How Republicans And Democrats Reacted to Surprise Hunter Biden Pardon on 1st December.
The publication, however, soon became a subject of ridicule as it turned out that the “surprising voice” it quoted was not that of Kash Patel’s father, but a parody account on X that was sharing memes calling Kash Patel his son.
“A surprising voice to weigh in on the pardon is Dr. Parik Patel, father of FBI Director nominee Kash Patel. The elder Patel wrote on X that Biden made the decision to pardon Hunter because he was “so worried about MY SON Kashu becoming director of the FBI that he decided to pardon his son … of all crimes,” the Newsweek’s now-removed paragraph read.
The original X post published by the parody account Parik Patel stated, “Joe Biden was so worried about MY SON Kashu becoming director of the FBI that he decided to pardon his son Hunter Biden of all of his crimes.”
Joe Biden was so worried about MY SON Kashu becoming director of the FBI that he decided to pardon his son Hunter Biden of all of his crimes pic.twitter.com/N0pD7D48mn
— Dr. Parik Patel, BA, CFA, ACCA Esq. (@ParikPatelCFA) December 2, 2024
Adding to Newsweek’s embarrassment, the parody account thanked Newsweek for his message. “Thank you @Newsweek for amplifying my message – Hunter Biden was pardoned just in time before my son Kashu could prosecute him for his crimes.”
While the netizens were left in splits over this hilarious episode, Newsweek quietly removed the paragraph in question, without acknowledging its mistake.
As reported earlier, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, issued a full and unconditional pardon for his son, Hunter Biden on 1st December 2024. Notably, Biden has only a few weeks days left in office as President-elect Donald Trump will resume office on 20th January. He claimed that the prosecution of Hunter was politically motivated and described it as a miscarriage of justice.
The pardon absolves Hunter of offences committed between 2014 and 2024, including the charges brought by Special Counsel David C. Weiss.
In a detailed statement issued from the White House, President Biden defended his decision and emphasised that Hunter was unfairly targeted due to his familial connections. “No reasonable person can conclude otherwise,” Biden stated, alleging that political adversaries had instigated charges to undermine his presidency and electoral prospects. The charges against Hunter stemmed from allegations of tax irregularities and a disputed firearm application. Biden argued that such cases are generally resolved without criminal trials, especially when defendants have addressed outstanding taxes with interest and penalties. President Biden further criticised the “collapse” of a plea deal Hunter had negotiated with the Department of Justice, attributing it to political interference.
