WASHINGTON — Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter on Sunday night, a reversal from the president who has repeatedly said he would not use executive authority to pardon or commute his son’s sentence.
“I believe in the judicial system, but as I have worked on this issue, I believe that raw politics has infected this process and that has led to the failure of justice. After that, there was no point in delaying it,” Biden said in a statement. “And I hope the American people understand why my father and president are making this decision.” .
Hunter Biden was found guilty on federal firearms charges and was scheduled to be sentenced on December 12th. He was also scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 16 in a separate criminal case in which he pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion charges in September.
According to a statement from the White House, the president said Hunter Biden “committed or may have committed or participated in any crime between January 1, 2014 and December 1, 2024.” He granted a “complete and unconditional pardon.”
A senior White House official told NBC News, which first reported the pardon decision, that the president decided to pardon his son over the weekend and began notifying senior aides on Sunday.
In his statement Sunday night, the president also spoke about his son’s struggle with addiction, saying his political opponents were trying to “break” him by going after Hunter.
“No reasonable person considering the facts of Mr. Hunter’s case could come to any other conclusion than that Mr. Hunter was chosen solely because he is my son, and that is wrong,” Biden said in a statement. ” “In the face of relentless attacks and selective prosecution, there was an effort to break down Hunter, who has been sober for five and a half years. But there’s no reason to do that.” Trust me, it will stop here. ”
In a separate statement, Hunter Biden acknowledged “my mistakes in the darkest days of my addiction, mistakes that were exploited in political sports to publicly humiliate and humiliate me and my family,” and took responsibility. He said he was injured.
Despite all of this, I have been able to maintain sobriety for over five years thanks to my deep faith and the unwavering love and support of my family and friends.” We have squandered the opportunities and benefits that were given to us in our recovery. I will never take for granted the pardon given to me today and will now be given the opportunity to make amends and rebuild my life as much as possible. I also plan to dedicate my time to help those who are suffering from the disease.”
Representatives for Special Counsel David Weiss did not respond to requests for comment. Hunter Biden’s attorney, Abby Rowell, declined to comment.
“The failed witch hunt against President Trump proves that the Democratic-controlled Justice Department and other radical prosecutors are weaponizing the justice system,” said Stephen Chan, a spokesman for President-elect Donald Trump. The justice system must be fixed.” Due process must be restored for all Americans, and that’s exactly what President Trump will do when he returns to the White House with an overwhelming mandate from the American people. ”
Biden, 82, is using his pardon power to keep Hunter Biden, who is nearing the end of his term in the White House and has no future election, from spending time in prison. In recent months, he has said he has no intention of pardoning or commuting his son’s sentence.
In June, after a jury found Hunter Biden guilty of three federal firearms charges, he said, “I will not forgive him.”
The president has been discussing pardoning his son with some of his aides since at least Hunter Biden’s conviction in June, according to two people with direct knowledge of discussions on the matter. They said it was decided at that point that he would publicly say he would not forgive his son, even if it remained on the table.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre recently told reporters that Biden’s position has not changed.
“We’ve been asked that question many times, and our answer is no,” she said.
Asked last week whether the president was still determined not to pardon his son, White House press secretary Andrew Bates said: “The president is discussing this matter.” Asked if Mr. Biden’s position had changed, Mr. Bates said, “I have nothing to add to what Mr. Biden has already said.”
First Lady Jill Biden also said her husband would not forgive their son.
“Joe and I both respect the justice system, and that’s fundamental,” she said in an interview in June.
Hunter Biden’s criminal trial in June was the first involving a child of a sitting president.
Pardoning him after that trial would cause a political firestorm for his father, who was campaigning for re-election. Republicans have long attacked Hunter Biden over his overseas business dealings and accused him and the president of corruption. They also claim that Hunter Biden received special treatment from the Justice Department because of his father’s political power.
Republican criticism came to a head in July 2023 when Hunter Biden pleaded guilty in an agreement with federal prosecutors over tax and gun charges, but agreed after a judge questioned it. collapsed. In response to this development, Attorney General Merrick Garland a few weeks later appointed David Weiss, the U.S. attorney investigating Hunter Biden, as special counsel.
Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race in July, but last month’s pre-election pardon also could spark a political backlash to his candidacy after Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee. There was sex.
Combined, the 12 charges to which Hunter Biden was convicted or pled guilty carry a maximum sentence of 42 years in prison. However, convictions for these crimes typically do not result in maximum sentences. For example, the Justice Department says tax matters carry a maximum sentence of 17 years in prison, but sentences are usually shorter.
Asked in a June interview if he would rule out pardoning his son, Biden said, “Yes.”
Days later, after Hunter Biden was found guilty of federal gun charges by a jury in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, the president said in a statement that he respected the outcome. He later told reporters he would abide by the jury’s decision.
“I’m extremely proud of my son Hunter,” Biden said. “He has overcome his addiction. He is one of the smartest, most decent men I know, and I am content to do nothing. I will abide by the jury’s decision. I said, “I will, and I will not forgive him.”
Joseph Ziegler, the IRS case officer who became the whistleblower in Hunter Biden’s tax investigation, told NBC News last year that Hunter Biden paid prostitutes and made lavish payments from corporate bank accounts. He said he began his own investigation after seeing bank records that suggested he had spent the money. Ziegler said politics played no role in his decision to file the lawsuit.
“I’m a 38-year-old gay man,” he said. “My politics are simple. I’m a Democrat.”
Neil Eggleston, a former White House adviser to President Barack Obama, told NBC News on Monday, “If I were his White House adviser, I would recommend that he pardon his son.” He said he had not been contacted or consulted by the White House about preparing a pardon.
“There are very few limits to pardon power, and it certainly extends to Hunter Biden’s pardon,” Eggleston said.
Eggleston’s opinion is in line with what former Justice Department and White House officials who have been involved in presidential pardons have told NBC News, and that Biden wants the power to be used ahead of the incoming Trump administration. He said he thinks it should be exercised.
