In a surprising move, President Joe Biden has granted a pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, who was facing sentencing this month for federal tax and gun convictions as his father prepares to leave office.
In a statement released by the White House on Sunday, December 1, President Biden, despite earlier assurances that he would not intervene in his son’s legal matters, argued that his son had been singled out and selectively, and unfairly prosecuted because of his family name.
Earlier this year, Hunter Biden was convicted of lying about his drug use when purchasing a firearm — a felony — and pleaded guilty in a separate tax evasion case.
He was due to be sentenced on December 12 for his conviction on federal gun charges, and also scheduled for sentencing on December 16 in a separate case, after pleading guilty in September to federal tax evasion charges.
“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. I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision,” Biden said in his statement.
This official grant of clemency cannot be rescinded by President-elect Donald Trump.
The president granted a full and unconditional pardon for any offenses Hunter Biden has committed or may have committed or taken part in between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024, according to the White House statement.
President Biden also addressed his son’s battles with addiction, accusing his political opponents of trying to break him by targeting Hunter.
“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”, Biden said in his statement.
“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.”
In a separate statement, Hunter Biden said he had “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.
“Despite all of this, I have maintained my sobriety for more than five years because of my deep faith and the unwavering love and support of my family and friends, he added.
“In the throes of addiction, I squandered many opportunities and advantages. In recovery we can be given the opportunity to make amends where possible and rebuild our lives if we never take for granted the mercy that we have been afforded. 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.”