WASHINGTON — On Sunday evening, President Joe Biden extended a presidential pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, effectively removing the threat of incarceration linked to federal felony charges regarding gun possession and tax violations. This decision represents a notable shift from Biden’s earlier stance of refraining from using his presidential authority for the benefit of family members.
In the past, President Biden had specifically stated he would not grant a pardon to Hunter following his convictions in Delaware and California. The timing of this pardon is particularly striking, coming just weeks before Hunter was set to be sentenced for his gun-related conviction and his guilty plea concerning tax issues, and less than two months before Donald Trump is expected to make a return to the White House.
This development brings an end to a lengthy legal struggle for Hunter Biden, who first made his federal scrutiny known in December 2020, shortly after his father’s election win. The situation complicates President Biden’s legacy, as he has consistently promised to restore ethical standards and uphold the rule of law following the turbulent Trump presidency.
In his statement on Sunday, President Biden expressed, “I trust in the justice system, but I also believe that political motivations have tainted this process, resulting in a miscarriage of justice.”
The pardon not only addresses Hunter’s gun and tax offenses but also covers any other potential offenses against the United States committed between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024.
Back in June, Biden had categorically dismissed the idea of pardoning his son, stating to the press, “I respect the jury’s decision. I will abide by it and will not issue a pardon.”
As recently as November 8, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated the administration’s position, confirming that no pardon or clemency would be offered to Hunter Biden, stating, “We have consistently responded to that question with a firm no.”
Throughout Hunter’s struggles with addiction and the family turmoil that followed, President Biden has voiced his support for his only surviving son. Political opponents have frequently weaponized Hunter Biden’s past challenges against the President, even showcasing compromising images during congressional hearings.
House Republicans have also sought to leverage Hunter’s contentious overseas business dealings in their unsuccessful attempts to impeach President Biden, who has consistently denied any wrongdoing or benefit from his son’s actions.
Biden remarked, “The charges against Hunter only surfaced after some of my political opponents in Congress pushed to undermine me and thwart my election.” He continued, “No reasonable observer could look at the circumstances surrounding Hunter’s cases and conclude anything other than that he was targeted solely because he is my son.”
“I hope the American public can understand why a father and a President would make this decision,” Biden stated, revealing he made the choice over the weekend.
The President had been spending the Thanksgiving holiday with Hunter and his family in Nantucket, Massachusetts, before gearing up for a trip to Angola, which may be one of his final international journeys before his term concludes on January 20, 2025.
Hunter Biden was convicted in June on three felony counts related to a 2018 gun purchase, during which he allegedly falsified information regarding his drug use on a federal form.
He was set to go to trial in September in California over allegations of failing to pay more than $1.4 million in taxes. However, he unexpectedly agreed to a plea deal just hours before jury selection was scheduled to commence.
David Weiss, the U.S. attorney appointed by Trump who negotiated Hunter’s plea deal, was subsequently designated as special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee the prosecution independently.
Hunter Biden stated that his plea was intended to shield his family from further distress and humiliation after the public exposure of his struggles with addiction during the gun trial.
The tax-related charges could have led to a prison sentence of up to 17 years, while the gun charges carried a potential sentence of 25 years. However, federal guidelines indicated he might have faced significantly reduced time or possibly avoided incarceration altogether.
Hunter was slated for sentencing this month in both federal cases, which emerged after an initial plea agreement, intended to keep him out of prison, fell apart under judicial scrutiny. In that initial deal, he was to plead guilty to misdemeanor tax offenses and avoid prosecution for the gun charge, provided he stayed out of trouble for two years.
Complications arose when the judge expressed concerns about the unusual terms of that agreement, leading to Hunter’s subsequent indictment on both counts.
Over the weekend, Hunter Biden’s legal team released a detailed 52-page document titled “The Political Prosecutions of Hunter Biden,” depicting him as a victim of political maneuvering aimed at undermining his father during the 2020 election and beyond.
Hunter’s lawyers have consistently argued that the indictments were driven by political motivations from Republicans, especially in light of criticisms surrounding the perceived leniency of the original plea deal.
Rep. James Comer, a leading Republican investigator into the Biden family, criticized the President’s pardon, claiming the evidence against Hunter is merely “the tip of the iceberg.”
“It’s unfortunate that instead of confronting their long history of misdeeds, President Biden and his family continue to elude accountability,” Comer commented on X, formerly Twitter.
Biden is not the first President to use his pardon powers to assist those close to him. In his final weeks in office, Trump granted clemency to Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, as well as several associates involved in the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller. Trump also signaled plans to nominate the elder Kushner as U.S. envoy to France in his next administration.
Read More: Here Are the New Members of Trump’s Administration So Far
Trump, who has vowed to implement significant changes and appoint loyalists throughout the Justice Department following his own legal issues, condemned Hunter Biden’s pardon as “a profound abuse and miscarriage of justice” in a recent social media post.
“Does the pardon that Joe granted to Hunter also apply to the January 6 hostages, who have been imprisoned for years?” Trump questioned, alluding to individuals convicted in the aftermath of the violent January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
In response to the pardon, Hunter Biden expressed his appreciation for the relief it provided and pledged to dedicate his renewed life to helping others who continue to struggle.
“I have acknowledged and taken accountability for my past errors during the darkest periods of my addiction—errors that have been leveraged to publicly humiliate and shame me and my family for political purposes,” Hunter stated.
Following the pardon, Hunter Biden’s legal representatives filed motions in both Los Angeles and Delaware, seeking the dismissal of the charges in his gun and tax cases based on the newly granted pardon.
A spokesperson for U.S. Attorney Weiss did not respond to requests for comment on Sunday evening.
NBC News was the first outlet to report that President Biden was anticipated to announce his son’s pardon on Sunday.
—Associated Press writer Josh Boak contributed to this report from Nantucket, Massachusetts.
