President Joe Biden granted a pardon to his son Hunter Biden on Dec. 1, saving him from potential prison sentences linked to federal felony charges for gun and tax offenses. This decision goes against Biden’s prior promises not to use the presidential pardon power for personal benefit.
President Biden has consistently stated he would not pardon his son, even after Hunter faced charges in Delaware and California. The pardon comes just weeks before Hunter Biden was expected to be sentenced for his criminal convictions and under two months before President-elect Donald Trump is set to take office.
Hunter Biden’s legal troubles began in Dec. 2020 with the announcement of a federal investigation. The pardon covers Hunter’s tax and gun-related offenses as well as any other potential offenses committed between Jan. 1, 2014, and Dec. 1, 2024.
In June, he was convicted of three felonies related to lying on a federal gun form in 2018, while he was also facing tax charges in California for allegedly failing to pay over $1.4 million. He had been set to face trial in California, but he agreed to a plea deal on tax-related charges after jury selection was set to begin.
David Weiss, the U.S. attorney who had negotiated the plea deal, was appointed special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee the case independently. Hunter Biden explained his decision to plead guilty was to spare his family more public distress, especially after the gun trial revealed personal details about his battle with cocaine addiction.
While the gun charges carried a maximum sentence of 25 years and the tax charges could result in 17 years behind bars, it was expected that sentencing guidelines would lead to much lighter punishment or even no prison time. However, a plea deal that would have avoided further prosecution fell apart under judicial review, leading to new indictments.
President Biden has publicly supported his son through years of addiction struggles and personal issues. President Biden’s support for his son has been used against him many times by Republican lawmakers, however. Hunter Biden’s business dealings, particularly overseas, were used by GOP lawmakers in their attempt to impeach the president, although Joe Biden has denied any involvement or benefit from his son’s business activities.
“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,” said President Biden in a statement. “No reasonable person can look at the facts and not see Hunter was targeted simply because he is my son.”
Hunter Biden’s legal team recently published a document accusing political motives behind the charges, describing the prosecution as part of a broader effort to target the president’s family for political gain. House Republicans, including Rep. James Comer, criticized the pardon, claiming that the evidence against Hunter Biden was just the “tip of the iceberg.”
The Biden administration is not the first to use presidential pardons to benefit family members. Former President Trump pardoned several allies including his son-in-law’s father, Charles Kushner, in his final days in office. Trump’s supporters have criticized the current legal system and promised reforms under his future presidency.
Hunter Biden responded to the pardon by acknowledging his past mistakes during his struggle with addiction and vowing to use his life moving forward to help others facing similar challenges. His legal team requested that the courts dismiss the charges against him in both Delaware and California following the pardon.
