'I hope Americans will understand': In U-turn, US president Joe Biden pardons son Hunter in gun, tax fraud charges

US President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, for gun and tax fraud charges. The pardon covers federal crimes Hunter Biden may have committed between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024. Hunter Biden faced sentencing in December for tax and gun convictions. The decision comes as a U-turn as Biden had repeatedly said he would not use his presidential authority to pardon his son, as reported by CNN.
The pardon prevents Hunter Biden from being sentenced or imprisoned for crimes. The scheduled court hearings will likely be canceled. The pardon also covers the period when Hunter Biden served on the board of Ukrainian gas company Burisma, a position that drew scrutiny over foreign business dealings.
“Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter,” the president said. The White House confirmed it is a “full and unconditional pardon.” This action reverses Biden’s previous statements that he would not pardon his son.
Hunter Biden was found guilty in June of illegally purchasing and possessing a firearm, with the trial focusing on his struggles with drug addiction and family issues. In September, he admitted to nine tax violations for failing to pay taxes on $1.4 million in income, which he spent on things like escorts, strippers, cars, and drugs. Hunter's lawyers argued that he was being unfairly targeted by Trump and other Republican lawmakers. Hunter's lawyers had claimed that he was being targeted by Trump and other congressional Republicans.

The two charges stemmed from a probe started in 2018 by then-US Attorney David Weiss who filed indictments in 2023.
President Biden said he pardoned Hunter Biden because he believes his son was unfairly prosecuted. “Hunter was treated differently” from others who commit similar crimes, the president said. He also asserted that political opponents used the charges to attack him. “I hope Americans will understand why a father and a president would come to this decision,” he said.
"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," President Biden said in Sunday's statement.
"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 added.
"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."
The pardon comes as criminal cases against President-elect Trump have come to a standstill after a sweeping ruling on presidential immunity by the Supreme Court -- all but ensuring Biden's Republican rival will likely never see a jail cell, even after his landmark conviction for falsifying business records in May.
A White House official said president Biden felt his son was targeted to hurt him politically. “He feels Hunter was targeted in order for his political opponents to hurt him and that was cruel and he endured enough,” the official explained. President Biden spent Thanksgiving with his family, including Hunter, before announcing the pardon.
One factor that influenced the president’s decision was his belief that his political opponents were trying to "break Hunter," especially while he was recovering from addiction. The president highlighted his son's five and a half years of sobriety, despite facing constant attacks and unfair treatment.

He said he struggled with the decision but made up his mind over the weekend.
“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,” Biden said.

Meanwhile, president-elect Donald Trump has condemned outgoing President Joe Biden's decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, calling it a “miscarriage of justice.”

“Does the Pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years? Such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social, hinting at potential pardons for the January 6 rioters once he assumes office.