PRESIDENT Joe Biden has issued a pardon for his troubled son Hunter following gun charges.
The decision marks a reversal for the outgoing president who has repeatedly said that he would not pardon his son or commute his sentence.
The pardon comes ahead of Hunter Biden’s December 12 sentencing for his conviction on federal gun charges.
In a statement released by the White House, Biden said: “Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter.
Since starting my term, I made it clear that I would not intervene in the Justice Department’s choices. I stuck to my promise even as I observed my son facing selective and unfair prosecution.
He added: “For my entire career I have followed a simple principle: just tell the American people the truth.
I trust that they will be impartial. The truth is that I have faith in the justice system, but I have also grappled with the idea that politics has tainted this process, resulting in a miscarriage of justice. Once I made the decision this weekend, there was no reason to prolong it any further.
“I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.”
Hunter Biden was set to be sentenced in a separate criminal case on December 16, after pleading guilty in September on federal tax evasion charges.
The pardon spares the younger Biden from a possible prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions.
This decision comes just before Hunter Biden was due to be sentenced following his conviction in a gun case and admission of guilt in tax evasion charges, and shortly before President-elect Donald Trump takes office again in less than two months.
It caps a long-running legal saga for the presidents son, who publicly disclosed he was under federal investigation in December 2020 a month after Joe Bidens 2020 victory.
In June, as his son Hunter was facing trial in the gun case in Delaware, Biden ruled out a pardon or clemency for his son in an interview with ABC News.
As recently as November 8, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre ruled out a pardon or clemency for the younger Biden, saying: “We’ve been asked that question multiple times. Our answer stands, which is no.”
Hunter Biden was previously found guilty on all charges of his federal gun trial in June.
The turbulent life of Hunter was thrown into the spotlight as a federal courtroom heard shocking testimony about his drug addiction, which spiraled out of control after the death of his brother, Beau Biden, in 2015.
A 12-panel jury in Wilmington, Delaware, convicted Hunter, who chose not to testify in his defense, on all charges on Tuesday after deliberating for about three hours.
Hunter stared straight ahead and showed no emotion as the verdict was read.
The First Son shook hands with some of his associates seated in the gallery behind the defense table and hugged his attorneys, Abbe Lowell and David Kolansky, before kissing his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden.
What are the charges against Hunter Biden?
In September 2023, Hunter Biden was indicted on three felony gun charges after a plea agreement with federal prosecutors unraveled. Prosecutors claim that on October 12, 2018, Hunter purchased a .38 Colt Cobra revolver from a Delaware gun store and lied on the ATF firearm form when he said he was not abusing drugs.
- Count 1: Hunter is charged with ‘knowingly making a false and fictitious written statement’ on a form used for firearms purchases.
- Count 2: Hunter allegedly knowingly made false statements and representations to the Wilmington gun store.
- When a person buys a gun, they must fill out a form with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and confirm that they are legally allowed to buy the weapon.
- The purchaser must affirm that they have not been convicted of a felony, are not a fugitive, are in the United States legally, and are not addicted or using illegal drugs.
- Count 3: Hunter is accused of illegally possessing a gun while abusing drugs. He owned the gun for 11 days in 2018.
- Counts one and two carry a maximum prison sentence of 10 years, while the third count has a maximum of five years.
Hunter Biden faces up to 25 years in prison. However, first-time offenders hardly ever receive the maximum penalty. It’s unclear if Judge Maryellen Noreika will impose a jail sentence.
