President Joe Biden announced late Sunday that he is pardoning his son, Hunter Biden, who has faced federal prosecution for gun and tax-related charges. The move comes after multiple statements by the president along the campaign trail saying he would not do so if his son is convicted.
Biden released a statement Sunday arguing that the charges were “instigated” by the president’s political opponents in Congress.
“Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter,” Biden said in a statement Sunday. “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 have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted.”
Hunter Biden’s plea agreement with the Department of Justice fell apart at the last minute earlier this year as some lawmakers called it a sweetheart deal and special treatment for the president’s son.
Biden argued that his son, Hunter, was unfairly treated for political reasons, justifying the pardon. Biden had frequently dismissed media questions about his son and whether he would pardon him, outright saying earlier this year that he would not pardon his son if convicted.
“Without aggravating factors like use in a crime, multiple purchases, or buying a weapon as a straw purchaser, people are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form,” Biden said. “Those who were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions, but paid them back subsequently with interest and penalties, are typically given non-criminal resolutions. It is clear that Hunter was treated differently.”
Lawmakers in Congress and IRS whistleblowers have argued the opposite, saying Hunter Biden was given preferential treatment by federal investigators because of his father.
The news comes after federal prosecutors telegraphed their intention to drop the charges against President-elect Donald Trump, complying with a long-standing Department of Justice policy to not prosecute a sitting president.
House Oversight Committee Chair Rep. James Comer also alleges his investigation found that Hunter was part of the Biden family business, which raked in tens of millions of dollars from entities in countries like China and Ukraine using the “Biden brand.”
So far, that investigation has not led to any federal charges.
“For my entire career I have followed a simple principle: just tell the American people the truth. They’ll be fair-minded,” Joe Biden said. “Here’s the truth: 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 – and once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further. I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.”
