Syria’s long civil war has reclaimed global attention after insurgents seized most of its largest city and dozens of nearby towns and villages.

President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter Biden was a move by a father to protect his son that some lawmakers said they could understand. “I’ll put it this way — if it was my son, I’d pardon him too,” Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville said. What hasn’t resonated as widely is Biden’s stated reason for pardoning Hunter Biden.

Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to nine tax violations in September and was convicted in a separate case on felony firearms-related charges. He could have faced decades in prison, though his upcoming sentencing was likely to be a much less severe punishment.