Washington: In a reversal to his pledge of staying out of legal proceedings against his son, US President Joe Biden said on Sunday he had pardoned his son, Hunter Biden. His son pleaded guilty to tax violations and was convicted on firearms-related charges.
“Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter. From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,” the US President said in a statement.
However, the White House had claimed on previous occasions that Biden would not pardon or commute sentences for Hunter, who has been a recovering drug addict. Hunter became a target of Republicans, including President-elect Donald Trump.
“No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son,” Biden said in a statement. He issued the statement shortly before leaving for a trip to Africa.
According to reports, the grant of clemency said Biden had granted ‘a full and unconditional’ pardon to his son for any offenses committed from January 1, 2014, to December 1, 2024.
Hunter Biden faced conviction for the false statements and gun convictions this month. Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to federal charges of failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes while spending lavishly on drugs, sex workers and luxury items in September. He was scheduled for sentencing in the same case on Dec. 16.
“I have admitted and taken responsibility for my mistakes during the darkest days of my addiction – mistakes that have been exploited to publicly humiliate and shame me and my family for political sport,” Hunter Biden said in a statement on Sunday.
Hunter claimed that he had remained sober for more than five years.
Republicans, however, criticized Joe Biden’s move.
“Does the Pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years? Such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social site, referring to those convicted for storming the US Capitol on Jan 6, 2021, after Trump claimed falsely that he had won the 2020 election.
What does the pardon mean?
The pardon means Hunter Biden won’t be sentenced for his crimes. It eliminates any chance that he’ll be sent to prison, which was a possibility, reported the CNN. The judges overseeing his cases will likely cancel the sentencing hearings, slated for December 12 in the gun case and December 16 in the tax case.
Learn more about the cases against Hunter
Hunter Biden was convicted by a jury in June for illegally buying and possessing a gun as a drug user. He was convicted after a trial that delved into his drug abuse and family dysfunction. He then pleaded guilty in September to nine tax offenses. He didn’t clear $1.4 million in taxes while spending lavishly on escorts, strippers, cars and drugs.
Special counsel David Weiss, who was the Trump-appointed US attorney for Delaware, began investigating Hunter Biden in 2018. The special counsel had filed both indictments in 2023.
As president, Joe Biden had the authority to shut down the probe. Joe Biden could also direct the Justice Department to dismiss the charges. However, he had kept his pledge to stay out of the matter previously.
