AP/WASHINGTON PresidentJoe Biden reversed his previous pledges to not use the exceptional powers of the presidency for the benefit of his family members when he pardoned his son, Hunter, on Sunday night, sparing the younger Biden from a potential prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax offenses.
Prior to his convictions in the Delaware and California cases, the Democratic president had declared that he would neither commute his son’s sentence nor pardon him. The action was taken less than two months before President-elect Donald Trump is scheduled to arrive to the White House, and weeks before Hunter Biden was scheduled to be punished for his trial conviction in the gun case and guilty plea on tax crimes.
It brings to a close a protracted legal battle for the president’s son, who revealed in public that he was being investigated by the federal government in December 2020, one month after Joe Biden won the 2020 election.
As his son was put on trial in the Delware gun case in June, Biden told reporters, “I abide by the jury decision,” firmly ruling out a pardon or commutation for his son. I won’t forgive him, but I will do that.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre denied a pardon or clemency for the younger Biden as recently as Nov. 8, just days after Trump’s election, stating, “We’ve been asked that question multiple times.” Our response remains unchanged: no.
Biden claimed that his son’s prosecution was politically driven and a miscarriage of justice in a statement issued Sunday night, saying, “Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter.”
According to Biden, the claims in his cases only arose after a number of his congressional rivals encouraged them to disparage me and prevent my election. Given the facts of Hunter’s situation, no sane person could conclude that Hunter was singled out merely because he is my son.
Biden continued by saying he made the decision this past weekend and hoped that Americans would get why a father and a president would reach this conclusion. Hunter and his family had stayed with the president over the Thanksgiving break in Nantucket, Massachusetts.
In June, he was found guilty of three felonies in a federal court in Delaware for buying a gun in 2018 after lying on a federal form, according to the prosecution, that he was not addicted to or using narcotics unlawfully.
In the California case where he was accused of not paying at least $1.4 million in taxes, he was scheduled to go on trial in September. However, hours after jury selection was about to start, he made a surprise plea of guilty to misdemeanor and felony charges.
After the gun trial revealed graphic information about his battles with a crack cocaine addiction, Hunter Biden announced that he was entering a guilty plea in that case to spare his family further suffering and humiliation.
Although federal sentencing standards were anticipated to call for significantly shorter sentences and it was possible he would avoid prison time entirely, the tax charges have a maximum penalty of 17 years in prison and the firearms charges bring a maximum penalty of 25 years.
In an emailed statement, Hunter Biden promised to dedicate his rebuilt life to assisting those who are still ill and in pain, saying he will never take for granted the relief that has been provided to him.
The younger Biden stated, “I have acknowledged and accepted responsibility for my mistakes during the darkest days of my addiction, mistakes that have been used to publicly shame and embarrass me and my family for political purposes.”
Messages seeking comment Sunday night were not answered by a representative for special counsel David Weiss, who filed the cases.
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By Alanna Durkin Richer and Zeke Miller The Associated Press
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