On December 1, U.S. President Joe Biden issued an official pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, after he pleaded guilty to federal charges of tax evasion and the illegal purchase of a firearm.
In a statement, President Biden criticized the prosecution against his son as infused with “raw politics,” saying, while he respects the rule of law, it has been obvious there was “a miscarriage of justice.” Hunter Biden thanked him for the pardon afterwards and 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.”
Biden made clear that Hunter was targeted solely because of their familial connection. “No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than that he was singled out because he is my son – and that is wrong,” Biden said. He repeated his pledge not to interfere with the Justice Department, even as he watched what he called a selective and unfair prosecution of his son.
The president attributed the charges to political opponents seeking to undermine him and disrupt his election efforts. He articulated his belief in the justice system while expressing concern that political motivations had compromised the integrity of the legal process.
The pardon marks a significant departure from Biden’s earlier stance. Just a few months ago, in June, he had said he would not grant a pardon or commute sentence for Hunter. At a news conference at the G7 summit, Biden had called his son one of the brightest and most decent men he knows, adding that he would not interfere with the jury’s verdict.
Legal issues for Hunter Biden have included a grand jury indictment in December 2023, on charges of failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes from 2016 to 2019, along with filing fraudulent returns to avoid tax assessments. He also faced convictions related to lying about drug use during a 2018 handgun purchase.
