On Sunday, President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, sparing him from facing a prison sentence for federal convictions of serious crimes related to possession of weapons and tax evasion, setting aside his previous promises not to use the extraordinary powers of the presidency to benefit members of his family.
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The president had previously said he would not pardon or commute his son's sentence after he was found guilty in both cases in Delaware and California. The decision comes just weeks after Biden was sentenced in the gun possession case and pleaded guilty to tax charges, and less than two months before Donald Trump's inauguration.
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This puts an end to a long legal saga for the president's son, who publicly revealed he was under federal investigation in December 2020, a month after his father's electoral victory, casting a shadow over the president's legacy. Biden, who repeatedly promised Americans he would restore norms and respect for the rule of law after Trump's first term, ultimately used his position to help his son, breaking his public promise to the citizens not to do so.
In a statement issued on Sunday night, the president indicated that "I believe in the judicial system, but as I have debated this issue, I also think that politics has infected this process, leading to an abuse of justice." The president's blanket pardon not only covers weapons and tax offenses against the younger Biden, but also any other "offense against the United States that he may have committed or participated in during the period from January 1, 2014, to December 1, 2024."
Biden categorically ruled out a pardon or clemency for his son last June, and after Hunter's trial in Delaware for illegal possession of firearms, he told reporters, "I will stick to the jury's decision. That's what I will do and I will not pardon him."
Just on November 8th, the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, ruled out a pardon or clemency for the president's son, saying: "We have been asked that question several times. Our answer remains the same: no."
The president has publicly defended his only surviving son as Hunter fell into a serious drug addiction and plunged his family into chaos, before getting back on track in recent years. His political rivals have long used Hunter Biden's numerous mistakes as a political tool against his father: In one hearing, lawmakers displayed photos of the president's son, showing him half-naked and in a seedy hotel.
In addition, Republican representatives tried to use Biden's questionable business dealings abroad in an attempt to impeach the president, which they have since set aside. The president has denied any involvement in his son's business or benefiting from them in any way.
"The charges in his cases only arose after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election," Biden emphasized. "No reasonable person analyzing the facts in Hunter's cases can come to any other conclusion than that Hunter was targeted solely because he is my son."
"I hope that Americans understand why a father and a president would make this decision," Biden added, stating that he made the decision over the weekend. The president had spent Thanksgiving holiday with Hunter and his family in Nantucket, Massachusetts, and was scheduled to depart for Angola later that Sunday in what could be his last trip abroad as president before leaving office on January 20, 2025."
A federal court in Delaware found Hunter Biden guilty of three felony charges for purchasing a firearm in 2018 when, according to prosecutors, he lied on a federal form by stating that he was not an unlawful user or addicted to drugs.
In the case of California, his trial was scheduled for September, after being accused of not paying at least 1.4 million dollars in taxes. However, surprisingly, he agreed to plead guilty to lesser and more serious charges hours after the start of jury selection.
David Weiss, the federal prosecutor in Delaware, appointed by Trump and responsible for negotiating the guilty plea agreement, was later appointed as special prosecutor by Attorney General Merrick Garland to have more autonomy over the case against the president's son.
Hunter Biden said he pleaded guilty in that case to spare his family further pain and embarrassment after the gun trial revealed intimate details about his struggle with a crack addiction.
The charges for tax evasion carry a penalty of up to 17 years in prison, while in the other trial, he faced a sentence of up to 25 years in jail. However, it was expected that due to federal sentencing guidelines, the prosecution would request a much shorter sentence, with the possibility of completely avoiding jail time.
The sentencing hearings were scheduled for this month in both cases, which were brought by the special prosecutor after a plea deal with the prosecution that would have spared him from going to prison fell through. The original agreement stipulated that Hunter was to plead guilty to a lesser tax charge and would have avoided prosecution in the firearms case as long as he stayed out of trouble for two years.
But the agreement fell apart last year when the judge raised concerns about the unusual nature of the deal. He was subsequently prosecuted in both cases.
Biden is far from being the first president to use his pardon power to benefit his allies.
In his final weeks in office, Trump pardoned Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and several allies convicted in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia. Over the weekend, Trump announced his plans to nominate Kushner's father as the U.S. ambassador to France in his upcoming administration.
Trump, who has promised a drastic reform of the Department of Justice and to appoint loyal people after being prosecuted for his role in efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential elections, said on Sunday in a social media post that the pardon of Hunter Biden was an "abuse and an injustice".
"Does Joe's pardon for Hunter include the hostages from January 6 who have been imprisoned for years?" Trump asked in reference to those convicted for the violent insurrection on January 6, 2021, at the US Capitol carried out by his supporters.
On his part, the son of the president said in a statement sent by email that he will never take for granted the leniency that has been granted to him and committed to dedicating the life he has rebuilt "to helping those who are still sick and suffering."
“I have admitted and taken responsibility for the mistakes I made during the darkest days of my addiction, mistakes that have been exploited to publicly humiliate and shame me and my family for political purposes,” said Hunter Biden.