United States President Joe Biden has pardoned his son Hunter, despite previously pledging not to use his presidential authority to grant him clemency.
Hunter Biden was convicted in two federal cases earlier this year – firearms and tax evasion.
On Sunday, Biden said that his son had been “singled out” and “selectively, and unfairly” prosecuted due to his family name.
The pardon covers offenses against the U.S. that Hunter Biden “committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024”.
In a statement released by the White House, Biden said, “Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter.”
He went on to say that “There has been an effort to break Hunter – who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution.”
“In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me – and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough.”
“Here’s the truth: I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice – and once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further,” Biden said.
“I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.”
Biden’s announcement comes weeks before Hunter Biden was set to face sentencing for a string of felonies related to making a false statement about his drug use during a gun background check and failing to pay at least $1.4m in taxes.
Hunter has acknowledged the pardon, according to a court document.
“On December 1, 2024, I received a formally accepted the President’s grant of a pardon,” the document stated. “I declare (or certify, verify, or state) under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the foregoing is true and correct.”
Trump, who faced a string of criminal cases before his re-election has described the pardon as “Such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!”
“Does the pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years?” Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social.
Joe Biden had in June ruled out the possibility of granting his son a pardon or commuting his sentence.
“I said I will abide by the jury decision. I will do that and I will not pardon him,” Biden had said.
On November 8, the White House reiterated Biden’s decision when press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters: “Our answer stands, which is no.”
The charges against Hunter Biden, carried up to 17 years behind bars, although he would likely have faced a much shorter sentence under federal sentencing guidelines. His sentencing was scheduled for Dec. 16.
In his reaction, Hunter Biden said, “I will never take the clemency I have been given today for granted and will devote the life I have rebuilt to helping those who are still sick and suffering.”
Under the US Constitution, presidents have almost unlimited power to grant clemency to people convicted of federal crimes.
US presidents have used pardons to benefit family members and political allies in the past.
Shortly before the end of his first term, Trump pardoned Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, after he did jail time for convictions for tax evasion, illegal campaign contributions and witness tampering.
Former US President Bill Clinton in 2001, pardoned his half-brother Roger Clinton Jr, who served over a year in prison in the 1980s after trying to sell cocaine to an undercover police officer.
Ifunanya Ikueze is an Engineer, Safety Professional, Writer, Investor, Entrepreneur and Educator.
