President Joe Biden announced on Sunday that he had pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, despite previously pledging to remain uninvolved in his legal matters.
Hunter had pleaded guilty to tax violations and was convicted on firearm-related charges.
“Today, I signed a pardon for my son, Hunter,” President Biden said. “Since taking office, I have committed to not interfering with the Justice Department’s decisions. I maintained that commitment even as I witnessed my son being selectively and unfairly prosecuted.”
This move marks a reversal from the White House’s repeated assurances that the president would neither pardon nor commute sentences for his son, who has been a recovering drug addict and a frequent target of Republican criticism, including from President-elect Donald Trump.
The clemency granted by Biden provides “a full and unconditional” pardon to Hunter Biden for any offenses committed between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024.
What were Hunter Biden’s legal issues?
Hunter Biden was awaiting sentencing in two federal cases.
Firearm Charges
In June, Hunter became the first child of a sitting U.S. president to be criminally convicted. He was found guilty of three charges related to falsely claiming he was not a drug user when purchasing a handgun in Delaware.
Tax Charges
In September, he pleaded guilty in a federal tax case involving nine charges, including failure to file taxes, tax evasion, and filing false returns for the years 2016 to 2019.
Hunter faced a maximum of 25 years in prison for the gun charges and up to 17 years for the tax violations. However, legal experts anticipated shorter concurrent sentences.
