i'm joined now by carol lam, carol, thank you so much for being here.k, is what president biden did today, in pardoning his son hunter unusual, given what hunter biden pleaded guilty to? >> well, i think it's unusual, if you look at the history of what has happened, with respect to pardons, in terms of the timing, the closeness of the relationship here. although it's not unprecedented. there have been pardons of family members in the past. but what i think is happening here, to some extent, is is that president biden must be influenced to some extent, to the fact that the incoming department of justice and under president-elect trump is going to be likely staffed in the upper positions by people who were on the defense team for donald trump. so this has become highly politicized and highly personal. and basically, by not pardoning his son is leaving a lot of unknowns out there. because of the sentencings that were occur in this month of hunter biden, that's not going to end all the prosecution of hunter biden, in the sense that both sides can appeal sen

that decision does not surprise me. >> carol lam, thank you very much for joining us this evening andght into night's news that president biden has granted a pardon to his son hunter. let's go to nbc news senior investigative producer and story editor, sarah fitzpatrick, thank you for being with us this evening. you are one of two people on this big story, you broke this story this evening that president biden would be pardoning his son hunter. when i spoke to carol, she said you have been working on this for a long time. how long have you been working on this and take us through the winding road that got the president from the point of saying no, to doing just that tonight. >> it has been a long and winding road, and i don't think anyone including the president knew exactly how this would transpire up until today. we have been on this story for many months, we learned from some of our sources that shortly after hunter biden was convicted in june on the gun charges that there were discussions between the president and his aide about the possibility of pardoning his son. although he re

i am being joined now by carol lam an msnbc legal analyst for the southern district of california. k about these pardons. obviously, the pardons -- the pardon is very broad. it not only covers the california tax evasion case as well as the delaware gun-related charges, but these are only for federal crimes and only within that ten-year period. is there a possibility that some trump-directed governor maybe not in delaware, maybe not in california, but somewhere in the united states might prosecute hunter biden going forward for other charges in another jurisdiction at the state level which would not be covered by a presidential pardon? >> right. >> you rightly point out that the constitutional pardon power that the president of the united states has covered only federal crimes and federal prosecutions and federal sentences and that doesn't apply to state cases and that's why you see in the case of donald trump, the new york state prosecution continues and will continue on, but in this case it is a broad -- it's a pretty broad ten-year coverage for hunter biden on the federal side, bu

i'm being joined now by carol lam, msnbc legal analyst, and former united states attorney for the southerntrict of california. carol, let's talk about these pardons. obviously, the pardon is very broad, it not only covers the california tax evasion case, as well as the delaware gun related charges, but these are only for federal crimes and only within that 10 year period. is there a possibility that some trump directed governor, maybe not in delaware, maybe not in california, but somewhere in the united states, might prosecute hunter biden going forward for other charges in another jurisdiction at the state level, which would not be covered by a presidential pardon? >> right, you rightly point out that the constitutional pardon power that the president of the united states has covers only federal crimes and federal prosecutions, federal sentences, so it doesn't apply to state cases, and that's why for example you see in the case of donald trump, the new york state prosecution continues and will continue on. but in this case, it is a broad -- it is a pretty broad 10 year coverage from hunte

that sally was talking about for many over the weekend, carol can tell us how the fresh week is looking. good morning. good morning. i good morning. lam i am glad to say it this week is looking a lot quieter than _ this week is looking a lot quieter than it— this week is looking a lot quieter than it did — this week is looking a lot quieter than it did over the course of the weekend — than it did over the course of the weekend with storm darragh. high pressure _ weekend with storm darragh. high pressure building in, it will be dry. _ pressure building in, it will be dry, settled and colder, we will have _ dry, settled and colder, we will have frost _ dry, settled and colder, we will have frost and patchy fog, some freezing — have frost and patchy fog, some freezing. fairly cloudy across england _ freezing. fairly cloudy across england and wales this week. this morning. — england and wales this week. this morning, that is a scenario. a lot of showers — morning, that is a scenario. a lot of showers coming in, some heavy today— of showers coming in, some heavy today come — of showers coming in, some heavy today come across the south—east