Washington After consistently stating that he would not utilize his administrative authority to pardon his son or commute his sentence, Joe Biden reversed course on Sunday night and pardoned his son Hunter.
“Although I have struggled with this, I also think that raw politics has corrupted the legal system and caused a miscarriage of justice. After I reached this choice this past weekend, there was no point in postponing it any longer. In his statement, Biden stated, “I hope Americans will understand why a father and a president would come to this decision.”
Hunter Biden’s sentencing for his conviction on federal gun crimes was set for December 12. In a different criminal matter, he entered a guilty plea to federal tax evasion charges in September and was scheduled to be sentenced on December 16.
According to a White House statement, the president granted Hunter Biden a “full and unconditional pardon” for whatever crimes he may have committed or participated in between January 1, 2014, until December 1, 2024.
The president decided to pardon his son over the weekend and started telling his closest aides on Sunday, a senior White House official told NBC News, which broke the story first.
In his remarks on Sunday night, the president also discussed his son’s battles with addiction and claimed that his political rivals were attempting to “break” him by targeting Hunter.
“No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son and that is wrong,” Biden stated in the statement. “Despite relentless attacks and selective prosecution, there has been an attempt to break Hunter, who has been clean for five and a half years. They have attempted to break me in an attempt to break Hunter, and there is no reason to think that this will end. “Enough is enough.”
Hunter Biden claimed in a different statement that he had “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.”
Because of my strong faith and the steadfast love and support of my family and friends, I have been sober for almost five years in spite of everything,” he continued. “I wasted a lot of chances and benefits when I was struggling with addiction. If we never take the kindness we have received for granted, we will have the chance to reconstruct our lives and, if feasible, make restitution throughout our rehabilitation. I will dedicate the life I have rebuilt to helping others who are still ill and in pain, and I will never take the clemency granted to me today for granted.”
A request for comment from Special Counsel David Weiss’s representative was not immediately answered. Abbe Lowell, Hunter Biden’s lawyer, remained silent.
“The failed witch hunts against President Trump have proven that the Democrat-controlled DOJ and other radical prosecutors are guilty of weaponizing the justice system,” stated Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for President-elect Donald Trump. As he returns to the White House with a resounding mandate from the American people, President Trump will do just that—he will fix that justice system and restore due process for all Americans.
As his time in the White House draws to a close and he has no more elections to contend with, Biden, 82, is utilizing his pardon authority to make sure Hunter Biden does not serve time in prison. He has stated in recent months that he would neither commute his son’s sentence or grant him a pardon.
In June, following a jury’s conviction of Hunter Biden on three federal firearms counts, he declared, “I will not pardon him.”
According to two people with intimate knowledge of the conversations, the president has talked about pardoning his son with some of his closest advisors at least since Hunter Biden’s conviction in June. They added that although pardoning his son was still an option, it was determined at the moment that he would publicly state that he would not do so.
Karine Jean-Pierre, the press secretary for the White House, recently informed reporters that Biden’s stance has not altered.
That question has been posed to us several times. “Our response remains unchanged, which is no,” she added.
White House spokesperson Andrew Bates responded, “The president has spoken to this,” when asked last week if the president is still adamant about refusing to give mercy for his son. Bates responded, “I don’t have anything to add what he said already,” when asked if Biden’s stance had changed.
Jill Biden, the first lady, has also stated that her husband would not forgive their son.
In a June interview, she stated, “The bottom line is that Joe and I both respect the judicial system.”
The first criminal trial involving a sitting president’s kid took place in June for Hunter Biden.
His father was running for re-election, and a pardon after that trial would have sparked a political firestorm for him. For years, Republicans have accused Hunter Biden and the president of corruption and criticized him for his international business activities. They have also claimed that because of his father’s political influence, Hunter Biden was receiving preferential treatment from the Justice Department.
When Hunter Biden entered a guilty plea in a deal with federal prosecutors on the tax and gun charges in July 2023, it fell apart after a judge questioned it, marking the height of GOP criticism. A few weeks later, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed David Weiss, the U.S. attorney looking into Hunter Biden, as special counsel as a result of that development.
A pardon prior to last month’s election would have caused political backlash against Vice President Kamala Harris’s candidacy when she replaced Joe Biden on the Democratic ticket after Biden withdrew from the presidential race in July.
Hunter Biden faces a potential jail term of 42 years for the 12 counts for which he is found guilty or has entered a guilty plea. However, convictions for these crimes usually do not result in the maximum terms. For example, according to the Justice Department, sentences are usually less than the maximum penalty of 17 years for the tax offenses.
In a June interview, when asked if he would rule out a pardon for his son, Biden said that he would.
The president declared in a statement that he would respect the verdict after a jury in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, found Hunter Biden guilty on federal gun charges a few days later. He then assured reporters that he would follow the jury’s verdict.
“I am so proud of my son Hunter,” Biden remarked. He is no longer addicted. I’m content that I won’t do anything because he’s one of the smartest, most kind men I know. I declared that I would follow the jury’s verdict. I won’t forgive him, but I will do that.
President Barack Obama’s White House attorney, Neil Eggleston, told NBC News on Monday that if I were his attorney, I would urge him to forgive his son. He claimed that the White House has not been in touch with him or asked for his opinion on any plans for a pardon.
According to Eggleston, the mercy power has minimal restrictions and would undoubtedly include a pardon for Hunter Biden.
Eggleston’s viewpoint is consistent with those of several former White House and Justice Department officials who have previously participated in presidential pardons and who told NBC News that they believe Biden needs to use this authority ahead of the Trump administration.
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