United States President Joe Biden has granted a pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, for his firearms and tax convictions, reversing his earlier pledge not to use presidential authority for clemency in this case.
In a statement released by the White House on Sunday, Biden claimed his son had been “singled out” and “selectively, and unfairly” prosecuted because of his family name.
“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 said. “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.”
Biden explained that his decision stemmed from his belief in fairness and transparency, principles he has upheld throughout his career.
“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,” he said. “Once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further.”
Hunter Biden was due to be sentenced in the coming weeks for felonies related to making a false statement about his drug use during a gun background check and failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes. He had faced a potential maximum sentence of 25 years for the tax case and 17 years for the firearms case, although federal guidelines suggested a less severe punishment.
The pardon has sparked widespread debate about the independence of the U.S. justice system, which critics claim is under increasing political pressure. The issue has been amplified as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office, with concerns he may use law enforcement agencies to target his political rivals.
Trump, who has faced his own string of legal troubles, condemned the pardon as a blatant abuse of power.
“Does the pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years?” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, referring to those convicted of crimes related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. “Such an abuse and miscarriage of justice!”
Special Counsel David Weiss, appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Hunter Biden, brought the charges after a plea deal collapsed under judicial scrutiny.
Defending his decision, Biden said prosecutions for making errors on gun purchase forms or late tax payments are uncommon and often result in non-criminal resolutions.
Republicans have accused Biden of using his son’s legal troubles to shield himself from scrutiny over Hunter Biden’s overseas business activities, which were central to a failed impeachment effort.
“Then, a carefully negotiated plea deal, agreed to by the Department of Justice, unraveled in the courtroom – with a number of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure on the process,” Biden said.
The sweeping pardon covers Hunter Biden’s firearms and tax convictions as well as any offenses he “committed or may have committed or taken part in” between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024.
In June, Biden had ruled out the possibility of granting clemency, saying, “I will abide by the jury decision. I will do that and I will not pardon him.”
The decision is expected to further polarize an already divided political landscape as Biden prepares to leave office.
Additional Reporting From AlJAZEERA
