WASHINGTON. President Joe Biden announced on Sunday that he has granted a pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, who had faced legal troubles including convictions for making false statements on a gun background check, illegally possessing a firearm, and pleading guilty to federal tax charges.
“Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter. 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,” the President stated in a release from the White House.
The move follows repeated assurances from the White House that President Biden would not intervene in Hunter’s legal cases. Hunter Biden, who has battled addiction and become a target for Republican critics, including President-elect Donald Trump, expressed gratitude and remorse in his statement.
“I have 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,” Hunter Biden said, noting that he has been sober for over five years.
Hunter Biden was convicted of providing false information on a gun background check and possessing a firearm while struggling with addiction. He also pled guilty in September to failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes, and spending heavily on drugs, sex workers, and luxury items. He faced sentencing for the gun charges on Wednesday and was scheduled for sentencing in the tax case on Dec. 16.
In his statement, Hunter Biden pledged to use the clemency as an opportunity to help others. “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.”
President Biden defended his decision, asserting that his son had been treated differently due to political motivations. “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,” Biden argued.
The President highlighted that similar cases involving false information on gun forms or delayed tax payments due to addiction are typically resolved without criminal charges. “It is clear that Hunter was treated differently. 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,” he said.
Biden acknowledged the complexity of the situation, blending his roles as a father and the nation’s leader. “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,” he explained.
The decision was finalized over the Thanksgiving holiday, which the Biden family spent in Nantucket, Massachusetts. During a walk in the town, a supporter urged the President to pardon his son, an appeal that seemed to resonate.
“I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision,” Biden concluded.
The pardon marks a controversial and personal chapter in Biden’s presidency, intertwining his family’s struggles with the nation’s political and judicial processes.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
