On Sunday night, President Joe Biden granted a pardon to his son, Hunter Biden. This marked a significant shift from his earlier stance when he stated he would not use his executive powers to pardon or mitigate his son’s sentence.
During the summer, a jury convicted Hunter on three felony counts concerning his purchase and possession of a firearm while being addicted to drugs. In September, he agreed to plead guilty to nine tax-related offenses, including three felonies, just before what was anticipated to be a long and challenging trial.
Hunter Biden could face up to seventeen years in federal prison and $1.35 million in fines for the tax charges. His conviction related to the gun charges carries a possible sentence of up to 25 years in prison. He was set to be sentenced for both cases in the coming weeks: December 12 for the gun-related charges in Delaware and December 16 for the tax charges in California. In response, the president granted a “full and unconditional pardon” for any offenses Hunter has “committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024,” according to a White House statement.
The president referred to “political opponents in Congress,” whom he accused of instigating the charges and sabotaging a plea deal reached in July, which collapsed in August.
Over the weekend, the president decided to pardon his son and began notifying his senior aides on Sunday. In his statement that evening, he also addressed his son’s battles with addiction, accusing his political opponents of attempting to “break” Hunter by targeting him.
“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,” Biden stated, according to NBC News.
In another statement reported by ABC News, Hunter Biden expressed that he had “admitted and taken responsibility for [his] mistakes during the darkest days of [his] addiction — mistakes that have been exploited to publicly humiliate and shame [him and his] family for political sport.” He further said, “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. In the throes of addiction, I squandered many opportunities and advantages. In recovery, we can make amends where possible and rebuild our lives if we never take for granted the mercy 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.”
A representative for special counsel David Weiss did not initially reply to a request for comment, while Hunter Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, chose not to provide a comment.
At 82 years old, President Biden is utilizing his pardon authority to prevent Hunter from serving jail time as his term in office comes to a close. Despite this, Biden had previously stated that he would not issue a pardon or commute his son’s sentence. “I will not pardon him,” he declared at a White House briefing in June, following Hunter Biden’s conviction on three federal gun charges.
“I’m extremely proud of my son Hunter,” Biden said. “He has overcome an addiction. He is — he’s one of the brightest, most decent men I know.” He further stated, “I said I’d abide by the jury decision, and I will do that. And I will not pardon him.”
On July 25, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked again about the possibility of President Biden pardoning his son. She responded, “It’s still a no. It will be a no… And I don’t have anything else to add. Will he pardon his son? No.”
In July of 2023, when asked the same question, Jean-Pierre also answered “No,” stating there was no chance the president would pardon his son.
President Biden closed his statement by saying, “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…I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision,” according to NBC News.
