President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he would pardon his son Hunter Biden, who was convicted in two federal cases later this month. The younger Biden was convicted on federal gun charges, and he pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion in September.
The president had previously insisted he would not pardon his son, and his reversal drew criticism from both Republicans and some Democrats.
Read Biden’s statement explaining his decision:
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 watched my son be selectively and unjustly prosecuted. Without aggravating factors such as use in a crime, multiple purchases, or buying a gun as a straw buyer, people are almost never charged with a misdemeanor charge solely because of the way they filled out a gun form. Those who pay their taxes late due to serious addictions, but then pay them back with interest and penalties, typically receive non-criminal resolutions. Clearly, Hunter was treated differently.
The charges in his cases only came after some of my political opponents in Congress incited them to attack me and oppose my election. Then, a carefully negotiated plea deal negotiated by the Justice Department unraveled in court — with some of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for putting political pressure on the trial. Had the plea deal stood, it would have been a fair, reasonable resolution of Hunter’s cases.
No reasonable person looking at the facts of Hunter’s cases could come to any conclusion other than that Hunter was singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong. Efforts have been made to break Hunter, who has been sober for five and a half years, even in the face of persistent attacks and selective prosecution. By breaking Hunter, they tried to break me too – and there’s no reason to think it will stop there. Enough is enough.
Throughout my career, I have followed a simple principle: Just tell the American people the truth. They will be honest. Here’s the truth: I believe in the justice system, but as I struggle with this, I also believe that raw politics has infected this process and led to a miscarriage of justice – and when I made this decision this weekend, it made no sense anymore to postpone it even further. I hope Americans will understand why a father and a president would come to this decision.
Read Biden’s pardon for his son:
Executive Pardons
Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
President of the United States of America
To all to whom these gifts will come, greetings:
Be it known that I, Joseph R. Biden, Jr., President of the United States, in exercise of my powers under Article II, Section 2, Clause 1, of the Constitution, have permitted
ROBERT HUNTER BIDEN
A complete and unconditional forgiveness
For the offenses against the United States which he has committed or may have committed or participated in during the period from January 1, 2014 to December 1, 2024, including but not limited to all offenses charged or prosecuted (including those resulting in convictions) by Special Prosecutor David C. Weiss in docket number 1:23-cr-00061-MN in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware and docket no. 2:23-CR-00599-MCS-1 in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I hereby sign my name, and cause the pardon to be registered with the Department of Justice.
Done in the city of Washington, this first day of December, in the year of Our Lord Two Thousand and Twenty-Four, and of the Independence of the United States, the Two Hundred and Forty-Nine.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
