United States President Joe Biden has officially pardoned his son Hunter Biden for firearms and tax convictions, despite earlier pledging not to use his presidential authority to grant him clemency.
In a statement released by the White House on Sunday, Biden said his son had been “singled out” and “selectively, and unfairly” prosecuted because of his family name.
“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,” Biden said. “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.”
Explaining his decision, Biden said he wrestled with the issue but ultimately concluded that “raw politics” had influenced the legal process.
“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 – and once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further,” Biden stated. “I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.”
Hunter Biden had been scheduled to face sentencing in the coming weeks for making a false statement about his drug use during a gun purchase background check and failing to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes. Convictions carried a combined maximum sentence of 42 years, though federal guidelines would likely have resulted in a less severe punishment.
Biden’s announcement has already ignited debate over the independence of the U.S. justice system, which critics claim is under pressure from political interests. Former President Donald Trump, now re-elected, criticized the pardon as an abuse of power.
Responding to Biden’s decision, Donald Trump stated on his platform Truth Social, referring to individuals convicted for crimes related to the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot. “Does the pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years?”
Trump added, “Such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!”
Special Counsel David Weiss, appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Hunter Biden, brought the charges after a plea deal fell apart under judicial scrutiny.
Biden defended the pardon by pointing out that similar offenses—such as misstating information on a gun purchase form or paying taxes late—rarely result in criminal prosecution.
“Then, a carefully negotiated plea deal, agreed to by the Department of Justice, unraveled in the court room – with a number of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure on the process,” Biden said. “Had the plea deal held, it would have been a fair, reasonable resolution of Hunter’s cases.”
The pardon covers not only Hunter Biden’s convictions but also any offenses he may have committed between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024.
In June, Biden had explicitly ruled out the possibility of clemency for his son, stating, “I will abide by the jury decision. I will do that and I will not pardon him.” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated that position as recently as November 8.
In a separate statement, Hunter Biden acknowledged his past mistakes during addiction and expressed gratitude for the pardon.
“Mistakes I made in the throes of addiction have been exploited to publicly humiliate and shame me and my family for political sport,” he said. “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.”
Under the U.S. Constitution, presidents hold broad powers to grant clemency for federal crimes.
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