President Joe Biden has issued a pardon for his son, Hunter Biden, on gun and tax charges.
Hunter, 54, was convicted of three firearms charges in June, which was the first time a sitting US president’s child had faced criminal prosecution.
Prosecutors said that he’d lied on a form in October 2018 when buying a Colt Cobra by stating that he was not a drug user or addict, despite having a problem with crack cocaine, Sky News reports.
Two months later, Hunter pleaded guilty to federal tax charges after being due to stand trial on criminal charges of failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes while allegedly spending money on luxury items, drugs, and sex workers.
Hunter has now received a “full and unconditional” pardon from his father, President Joe Biden, before he was due to be sentenced later this month on two separate criminal cases.
In a statement released by the White House, President Biden said: “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.
“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.”
Hunter had been due to be sentenced for the gun charges on December 12, and the tax evasion charges on December 16, but has now received clemency.
President Biden, 82, said that the charges against Hunter “came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election”.
He added that Hunter’s plea deal “agreed to by the Department of Justice, unravelled in the courtroom – with a number of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure on the process.”
He also addressed Hunter’s struggles with addiction, adding: “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.
“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.”
He added: “For my entire career I have followed a simple principle: just tell the American people the truth. They’ll be fair-minded.
“I believe in the justice system,” but said he believes “raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice.”
He concluded: “I hope Americans will understand why a father and a president would come to this decision.”
President Biden had previously ruled out a pardon or commutation for his son, telling reporters amid the Delaware gun case: “I abide by the jury decision. I will do that and I will not pardon him.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on November 8: “We’ve been asked that question multiple times. Our answer stands, which is no.”
Hunter said in a separate statement on Sunday that he has “admitted and taken responsibility for my mistakes during the darkest days of my addiction”, but said his mistakes “have been exploited to publicly humiliate and shame me and my family for political sport”.
He added: “In recovery, we can be given the opportunity to make amends where possible and rebuild our lives if we never take for granted the mercy that we have been afforded.
“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-elect Donald Trump, who will take over running the country in January after winning the recent election against Kamala Harris, shared his thoughts on Truth Social.
He wrote: “Does the Pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages (around 562 people jailed for taking part in the 2021 Capitol riots), who have now been imprisoned for years?
“Such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!”
