JUST IN: President Biden Announces Decision On Pardon For Hunter
President Biden announced Sunday evening that he will be issuing a pardon for his son, Hunter, who was convicted in two separate federal cases earlier this year.
“Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter,” Biden wrote in a White House statement. “From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted.”
“Without aggravating factors like use in a crime, multiple purchases, or buying a weapon as a straw purchaser, people are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form,” the statement added. “Those who were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions, but paid them back subsequently with interest and penalties, are typically given non-criminal resolutions. It is clear that Hunter was treated differently.”
YOURS FREE: Claim Your ‘Trump Victory’ Coin NOW!
Hunter Biden, 54, faced a number of legal issues in 2024 after he was indicted by Special Counsel David Weiss in two separate criminal matters. He was first convicted in Delaware federal court for lying on a federal form when purchasing a handgun, and was later convicted of multiple felony and misdemeanor charges in a federal tax case filed in California.
President Biden went on to claim that the decision to prosecute his son was politically motivated.
“The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election. Then, a carefully negotiated plea deal, agreed to by the Department of Justice, unraveled in the court room – with a number of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure on the process. Had the plea deal held, it would have been a fair, reasonable resolution of Hunter’s cases,” the president wrote.
Hunter was initially slated to receive a generous plea deal that would wipe out the federal gun charges in favor of a diversion program last year, though the deal was rejected by U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika at the last minute.
“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. There has been an effort to break Hunter – who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution,” Biden’s statement continued. “In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me – and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough.”
The president concluded by stating that throughout his political career, he has sought to tell “the truth” in all dealings with the American people.
“Here’s the truth: I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice – and once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further. I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.”
The president’s decision to pardon his son deviates from previous statements on the matter. “Yes,” President Biden told ABC News when asked if he would rule out pardoning Hunter ahead of the verdict in the gun case.
After he was convicted three days later, the president once again stated that he has no intention on issuing a pardon. “I am not going to do anything,” Biden said after Hunter was convicted. “I will abide by the jury’s decision.”
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also told reporters in multiple press briefings that a pardon was not being considered.
Presidents have a long history of issuing pardons on their way out the door, particularly in cases involving individuals where a pardon would cost political capital.
Ahead of the president’s decision to pardon his son, President-elect Trump had stated that he was open to the idea himself while speaking on the campaign trail. “I wouldn’t take it off the books,” Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. “See, unlike Joe Biden, despite what they’ve done to me, where they’ve gone after me so viciously, despite what, and Hunter’s a bad boy. There’s no question about it. He’s been a bad boy. All you had to do is see the laptop from hell. But I happen to think it’s very bad for our country.”
(FREE GUIDE: Trump’s Secret New “IRS Loophole” Has Democrats Panicking)