On Sunday, US President Joe Biden granted a pardon to his son Hunter, avoiding a potential prison term due to federal felony gun and tax convictions, which marks a reversal of his earlier commitments against utilizing presidential powers for family benefits.
“Today, I granted a pardon for my son Hunter. Since the day I assumed my role, I stated I would refrain from interfering with the Justice Department’s decisions, and I upheld that promise while witnessing my son being targeted and unjustly prosecuted,” he said in a statement released by the White House.
Biden previously announced that he would not pardon his son or reduce his sentence after convictions in two cases from Delaware and California. This choice arrives merely weeks prior to Hunter Biden’s planned sentencing for his trial conviction related to the gun case and his admission of guilt regarding tax offenses. The pardon was granted just under two months prior to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.
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“Individuals who delayed tax payments due to significant addictions but later repaid them with interest and penalties generally receive non-criminal outcomes. It is evident that Hunter received different treatment,” Biden said.
Hunter is a rehabilitating drug addict who has become a focus for Republicans, including Trump.
“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,” Biden said.
“Here’s the reality: I trust the justice system, but in grappling with this, I also think that pure politics has tainted this process, causing a miscarriage of justice – and once I reached this conclusion this weekend, it made no sense to postpone it any longer,” Biden stated.
“I trust that Americans will comprehend why a father and a President would reach this conclusion.”
