Biden grants pardon to son Hunter
The president stated that Hunter was targeted due to political motivations.
TroibNews 
On Sunday, President Joe Biden granted a “full and unconditional” pardon to his son Hunter, expressing that he had “wrestled” with this choice but ultimately believed that “raw politics” had “infected” the legal proceedings that resulted in Hunter’s criminal convictions for gun and tax offenses.
“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,” the president remarked in a statement.
Biden made the announcement prior to boarding a flight to Angola. This decision represents a significant departure from the stance of Biden administration officials, who had been clear in their responses about the possibility of a pardon for Hunter. Just last month, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that “our answer stands, which is no.”
The president had previously indicated the same position when Hunter was convicted this summer for possessing a firearm while being a user of crack cocaine, as well as when he pleaded guilty this fall to tax-related charges.
Had he not been pardoned, Hunter Biden would have faced two separate criminal sentencing hearings this month. A court date was set in Delaware for December 12 regarding the gun case, in which a jury had convicted him after a week-long trial that unearthed challenging and distressing moments from the Biden family's past.
On December 16, Hunter Biden was also scheduled for sentencing in California for tax offenses. In this matter, he pleaded guilty to several tax-related crimes, acknowledging his failure to pay $1.4 million in taxes over multiple years.
The investigation into Hunter Biden by federal authorities began during the first term of Donald Trump, but details of the inquiry became public only after Joe Biden won the presidency in 2020. Biden chose to retain the Trump-appointed U.S. attorney overseeing the investigation rather than appointing a replacement, allowing him to continue the inquiry. Last year, Attorney General Merrick Garland designated this U.S. attorney, David Weiss, as a special counsel, both moves aimed at mitigating accusations of presidential interference in the legal process.
James del Carmen for TROIB News
“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,” the president remarked in a statement.
Biden made the announcement prior to boarding a flight to Angola. This decision represents a significant departure from the stance of Biden administration officials, who had been clear in their responses about the possibility of a pardon for Hunter. Just last month, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that “our answer stands, which is no.”
The president had previously indicated the same position when Hunter was convicted this summer for possessing a firearm while being a user of crack cocaine, as well as when he pleaded guilty this fall to tax-related charges.
Had he not been pardoned, Hunter Biden would have faced two separate criminal sentencing hearings this month. A court date was set in Delaware for December 12 regarding the gun case, in which a jury had convicted him after a week-long trial that unearthed challenging and distressing moments from the Biden family's past.
On December 16, Hunter Biden was also scheduled for sentencing in California for tax offenses. In this matter, he pleaded guilty to several tax-related crimes, acknowledging his failure to pay $1.4 million in taxes over multiple years.
The investigation into Hunter Biden by federal authorities began during the first term of Donald Trump, but details of the inquiry became public only after Joe Biden won the presidency in 2020. Biden chose to retain the Trump-appointed U.S. attorney overseeing the investigation rather than appointing a replacement, allowing him to continue the inquiry. Last year, Attorney General Merrick Garland designated this U.S. attorney, David Weiss, as a special counsel, both moves aimed at mitigating accusations of presidential interference in the legal process.
James del Carmen for TROIB News
