U.S. President Joe Biden, who is set to retire in January next year, has pardoned his son Hunter Biden, who faces charges of illegal firearm possession and tax evasion. This reverses his previous stance of neither granting pardons nor reducing sentences. President Biden claimed that Hunter has been made a political target simply because he is his son.
According to the White House, President Biden announced in a statement on the night of the 1st (local time), "Today, I signed a pardon order for my son Hunter." He said, "Since my inauguration, I have said I would not interfere with the Department of Justice's decisions, and I have kept that promise even while watching my son be selectively and unfairly prosecuted," emphasizing, "Rational observers of Hunter's case can only conclude that he was targeted simply because he is my son, and that this is wrong."
President Biden also stated, "Despite relentless attacks and selective prosecution, Hunter has remained sober for five and a half years, yet there have been efforts to bring him down," adding, "They tried to bring me down to bring Hunter down, and there is no reason to believe they will stop here. This is enough."
He continued, "I believe in the justice system. But wrestling with this issue, I see that raw politics has infected this process and misapplied justice," adding, "I made this decision over the weekend. As a father and as president, I hope Americans understand why I made this decision."
Hunter Biden, the president’s second son, was found guilty in June of illegal firearm possession and was awaiting sentencing this month. In his statement, President Biden reiterated criticism that his son was a political target, saying, "Absent aggravating factors, it is rare for someone to be prosecuted for a felony simply for how they filled out a firearm purchase form." The tax evasion sentencing was also scheduled for mid-month.
Until now, the White House and President Biden had expressed a firm stance of "absolutely not" regarding any reduction or pardon for Hunter Biden. Immediately after the guilty verdict in June for illegal firearm possession, they drew a clear line, stating, "There will be no pardon or sentence reduction." This reversal came in just a few months. The guilty verdict was the first for a child of a sitting U.S. president.
Notably, CNN reported that this pardon covers all crimes committed or participated in within the U.S. from January 1, 2014, to December 1, 2024, highlighting that this period includes Hunter Biden’s tenure as an executive at Burisma, a Ukrainian natural gas company. Hunter Biden has faced allegations of using his father’s influence, who was then vice president, to gain unfair economic benefits.
The New York Times (NYT), citing sources, reported that President Biden made this decision while spending the Thanksgiving holiday with his family, influenced by two factors: the scheduled sentencing for Hunter Biden in December and the need to resolve the issue before Christmas. It also reported that Hunter Biden, upon hearing of the pardon decision from his father, felt relief mixed with bitterness over what he considered unnecessary prosecution. Theoretically, the applicable sentences could have been up to 25 years for the firearm law violation and up to 17 years for tax evasion.
Hunter Biden issued a statement after the signing, saying, "I have acknowledged and taken responsibility for the mistakes I made during my darkest times," and added, "I will not take the generous disposition (pardon) I received today for granted. I will dedicate the life I have rebuilt to helping those who are still hurting and suffering."
This is not the first time a sitting U.S. president has used executive authority to announce a pardon for a family member. Former President Bill Clinton pardoned his half-brother Roger Clinton, who faced cocaine use charges, on his last day in office. President-elect Donald Trump also pardoned Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, near the end of his first term. President-elect Trump, who is set to be inaugurated in January next year, announced the day before that he would nominate Charles Kushner as the U.S. ambassador to France.
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