On Sunday, President Joe Biden issued an official pardon for his son, Hunter Biden, who had been facing sentencing for two criminal cases.
The pardon marks a significant shift from his previous statements, in which he repeatedly said he would not intervene in his son’s legal troubles.
The younger Biden had been convicted of felony charges for lying about his drug use when purchasing a gun, and also pleaded guilty in a separate tax evasion trial.
In a statement, President Biden defended his decision, saying, “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 — and that is wrong.”
The pardon was issued as the nation nears the transfer of power to President-elect Donald Trump, who has been vocal about using his second term to exact retribution on his political enemies, including Hunter Biden.
Hunter Biden’s legal troubles have been a major point of contention, particularly among Republican lawmakers. Biden’s decision to grant clemency has reignited scrutiny over the independence of the U.S. judicial system, especially as Trump has moved to appoint loyalists to key positions within the FBI and the Justice Department.
In his statement, President Biden said, “The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election,” pointing to political motivations behind the legal actions.
The president acknowledged that while he believes in the justice system, he also feels that “raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice.” He further explained, “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.”
Hunter Biden, who has struggled with addiction, reacted to the pardon by expressing both relief and a sense of frustration over the legal process.
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In a statement, he said, “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.”
He pledged to use his pardon as a platform to help others, saying, “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.”
Despite Biden’s assertion that he would not interfere in his son’s case, the decision to grant the pardon followed months of public denials by the White House.
In 2020, Biden had emphasized the importance of maintaining the independence of the justice system, particularly in relation to his son’s legal battles.
At the Group of 7 summit in June, he told reporters, “I said I’d abide by the jury decision,” and reiterated that he would not intervene. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre had also repeatedly dismissed questions about the possibility of a pardon, insisting, “No,” when asked if Biden would use his executive power to intervene in Hunter Biden’s cases.
The timing of the pardon is significant, coming just 50 days before Biden is set to leave office and hand over the reins to President-elect Trump. The move has drawn criticism from Trump and other political opponents.
In a social media post, Trump labeled the pardon “Such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!” and questioned whether it would extend to the January 6 rioters who had been imprisoned for their role in the Capitol attack.
Additionally, Senator Charles E. Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, expressed his shock at the reversal, tweeting, “Shame on me” for believing Biden when he said he would not pardon his son.
Jenna Ellis, a former lawyer for Trump’s 2020 election campaign, mocked the situation with a reference to the White House’s annual turkey pardon, writing, “Joe Biden pardoned three turkeys this week.”
Hunter Biden’s legal saga began in earnest when he was convicted of lying on a federal form about his drug addiction during a gun purchase in 2018. He also faced multiple tax charges after failing to pay taxes on income earned from overseas consulting contracts.
The tax evasion case was part of a broader investigation into his finances, which spanned more than five years. He had previously reached a plea deal that would have allowed him to avoid jail, but that agreement fell apart.
In September, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to nine federal tax charges and faced the possibility of up to 17 years in prison for the tax-related offenses.
Additionally, the gun charge carried a maximum sentence of 25 years. Legal analysts had speculated that, given his status as a first-time offender, he was unlikely to receive the maximum sentence. It was expected that he would face no more than a year in prison or possibly even probation.
The pardon comes after years of political controversy, with Republicans accusing Hunter Biden of being treated leniently due to his father’s position.
Critics argue that the legal proceedings have been heavily politicized, with both sides using the case to further their own agendas.
At the same time, the case has been a major point of focus in the lead-up to the 2024 election, with Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race causing some of the fervor around the case to subside.
In his statement, President Biden expressed his hope that Americans would understand his decision, adding, “I hope Americans will understand why a father and a president would come to this decision.” However, the pardon has intensified political divisions, with many of Biden’s adversaries viewing it as a misuse of executive power.
As Hunter Biden’s legal journey enters its final stages, President Biden’s intervention highlights the complex intersection of justice, politics, and family in American public life. The legacy of this decision will likely be debated for years to come, with opinions sharply divided along partisan lines.
