President Joe Biden has pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, for his firearms and tax convictions, a decision that directly contradicts his previous pledge not to use presidential power for clemency in this case. In a White House statement released Sunday, President Biden asserted that Hunter Biden had been subjected to selective and unfair prosecution due to his family name, stating that efforts to “break Hunter” were also an attempt to “break me.” He framed the pardon as a response to what he perceives as a politically motivated miscarriage of justice, emphasizing his belief in the fairness of the American people and his commitment to truth. The pardon comes just weeks before Hunter Biden’s scheduled sentencing for felony charges related to a false statement on a gun background check and tax evasion.
The decision is expected to reignite debate about the independence of the U.S. justice system, particularly given concerns about President-elect Donald Trump’s potential use of law enforcement to target political rivals. President Trump denounced the pardon as an abuse of power on his Truth Social platform, questioning whether it extended to those imprisoned for the January 6th Capitol riot. While Hunter Biden faced potential lengthy prison sentences—25 years for the tax charges and 17 years for the firearms offense—he was almost certainly facing a significantly shorter sentence under federal sentencing guidelines.
Background
The charges were brought by Special Counsel David Weiss following the collapse of an earlier plea deal. President Biden argued that the charges themselves were unusual, pointing out that false statements on gun purchase forms rarely result in prosecution and that tax payment delays often result in non-criminal resolutions. He further stated that Republicans had exploited his son’s legal troubles to attack him politically, and that a fair plea deal had been thwarted by political pressure.
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President Joe Biden’s pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, extends beyond the son’s tax and gun convictions to encompass any federal offenses committed between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024. This sweeping pardon directly contradicts President Biden’s previous public statements, including a June declaration that he would not pardon his son and a November 8th reiteration of that stance by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. In a statement released Sunday, Hunter Biden acknowledged past mistakes made during his struggles with addiction, suggesting that his issues have been exploited for political gain. He expressed gratitude for the clemency and pledged to dedicate his life to helping others battling addiction.
The breadth of the pardon underscores the almost unlimited power granted to U.S. presidents by the Constitution to grant clemency in federal cases. This authority has been utilized by previous presidents to benefit family members and political associates. Examples include President Trump’s pardon of his son-in-law’s father, Charles Kushner, for various felonies, and President Clinton’s pardon of his half-brother, Roger Clinton Jr., for a cocaine-related conviction. The timing and scope of President Biden’s pardon are certain to fuel intense political debate.
Source: Al Jazeera
