Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden has reversed his earlier stance on not pardoning his son, Hunter Biden, in connection with the federal charges he is facing.
Hunter Biden was convicted in June on three felony charges related to purchasing a firearm in 2018. Prosecutors argued that he falsified his paperwork by claiming he wasn’t using or addicted to drugs at the time.
He also pleaded guilty to charges of failing to pay at least $1.4 million (£1.1 million) in taxes, stating that his decision to plead guilty was meant to avoid further embarrassment for his family, particularly after details about his crack cocaine addiction were revealed during the gun charge trial.
The gun conviction carries a potential 25-year sentence, while the tax charges could result in up to 17 years in prison. However, sentencing guidelines would likely result in a much shorter sentence, and it’s possible Hunter Biden could avoid prison altogether.
However, despite previously stating he would not do so, his father has now granted him a pardon.
Joe Biden will be leaving the White House next month after announcing that he will not seek a second term as president. With his party losing the election, Donald Trump and the Republicans will be returning to the White House for a second term.
Biden’s administration had consistently denied any intention to pardon his son, including on November 8, when the election results made it clear that Trump would soon be returning to office. On that day, the White House press secretary stated, “We’ve been asked that question multiple times. Our answer stands, which is no.”
Since then, President Biden issued a statement announcing that he had changed his mind and granted his son a “full and unconditional” pardon. He argued that the prosecution was a “miscarriage of justice” and politically motivated.
Biden said: “The charges in his cases arose only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election.”
“No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out solely because he is my son.”
“I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.”
Hunter Biden released a statement saying, “I have admitted and taken responsibility for my mistakes during the darkest days of my addiction – mistakes that have been exploited to publicly humiliate and shame me and my family for political sport.”
The president’s decision to reverse his stance is surprising in one sense, given the repeated denials that he would pardon his son. However, it is not entirely unexpected considering the impending transfer of the U.S. judicial system to a man who has repeatedly referred to the “Biden Crime Family” and claimed they are running a “criminal enterprise.”
In response to the pardon, Donald Trump issued a statement referencing those imprisoned during the attempted insurrection on January 6, 2021. He called their imprisonment “an abuse and miscarriage of justice.”
Trump remarked: “Does the pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years? Such an abuse and miscarriage of justice!”
When Trump last left the White House, he granted a significant number of pardons to individuals connected to his administration who were involved in criminal investigations.
At the end of the day, the 82-year-old Biden will not return as president, and while he still holds the power to grant pardons, he has effectively removed the possibility of his son facing jail time. Any political fallout from this decision will not fall on Joe Biden.
