2-12-2024 (WASHINGTON) President Joe Biden has granted a full and unconditional pardon to his son Hunter Biden, reversing previous assurances and sparking intense debate about the use of presidential clemency powers during his final weeks in office.
The sweeping pardon, announced Sunday, covers any potential federal crimes committed between January 2014 and December 2024, effectively nullifying Hunter Biden’s pending sentencing for gun crime and tax convictions. The clemency notably extends to the period of his controversial involvement with Ukrainian energy firm Burisma.
In a statement defending his decision, President Biden claimed his son had been “selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted” and targeted by political opponents seeking to undermine his presidency. “I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision,” the statement read.
The pardon comes despite repeated public promises from the administration that no such action would be taken. It eliminates the possibility of prison time for Hunter Biden, who was due to face sentencing on December 12 for illegal firearm possession and December 16 for nine tax-related offences involving unpaid taxes totalling $1.4 million.
A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that the president’s change of heart stemmed from his belief that “raw politics had infected the process.” The decision was reportedly finalised during the Thanksgiving holiday, when the Biden family gathered in Nantucket.
Hunter Biden’s legal troubles stemmed from a 2018 investigation initiated by Special Counsel David Weiss, originally appointed during the Trump administration. The cases highlighted his well-documented struggles with substance abuse, which featured prominently in both his trial and his 2021 memoir.
The president specifically emphasised his son’s five-and-a-half years of sobriety “even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution.” The pardon, which cannot be rescinded by President-elect Trump, effectively draws a line under a saga that has dominated headlines throughout Biden’s presidency.
