President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he will pardon his son Hunter Biden, who will be sentenced later this month on two federal cases. The younger Biden was convicted on federal gun charges and also pleaded guilty in September to federal tax evasion charges.
The president had previously said he would not pardon his son, but his reversal of that statement drew criticism from some Democrats as well as Republicans.
Today I signed a pardon for my son Hunter. From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere in the decision-making of the Department of Justice, and I kept that promise even as I watched my son be selectively and unfairly prosecuted. Absent aggravating factors such as use in a crime, multiple purchases, or purchasing a weapon as a straw purchaser, people are rarely tried for felonies solely because of how they filled out gun forms. Non-criminal settlements are usually awarded to people who missed paying their taxes due to severe addiction, but then repaid them with interest and penalties. It’s clear that Hunter was given special treatment.
His legal accusations only came after several of my political opponents in Congress attacked me and incited me to contest my election. The carefully negotiated plea deal agreed to by the Justice Department then unraveled in court, with many political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure to the process. Had a plea deal been reached, Hunter’s case would have been resolved fairly and reasonably.
No rational person considering the facts of Hunter’s case could come to any other conclusion than that Hunter was chosen solely because he is my son, but that is incorrect. Efforts have continued to break Hunter, who has been sober for five and a half years, even in the face of relentless attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to crush Hunter, they tried to crush me too—and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. That’s enough.
Throughout my career, I have followed a simple principle: Just tell the American people the truth. They will be fair-minded. This is the truth: I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with it, I also believe that raw politics has infected this process and that it has led to miscarriages of justice. And after I made this decision this weekend, there was no point in delaying it further. I hope the American people understand why our father and president is making this decision.
Read about Biden’s pardon for his son.
Generous administrative subsidies
Joseph R. Biden Jr.
president of the united states
o Greetings to all who receive these gifts:
As you know, on this day, I, Joseph R. Biden, Jr., President of the United States, authorized the following persons pursuant to my authority under Article II, Section 2, Section 1 of the Constitution:
robert hunter biden
complete and unconditional pardon
For crimes against the United States that he committed or may have committed or participated in between January 1, 2014 and December 1, 2024, all crimes for which he was charged or indicted (including serious crimes). (including, but not limited to, crimes resulting in (Conviction) by Special Counsel David C. Weiss in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware, Case Number 1:23-cr-00061-MN, in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Case Number 2:23-CR-00599- MCS-1.
To testify to this, I hereby sign my name and have the pardon recorded in the Department of Justice.
This ceremony was held in the city of Washington on December 1st, the 2,24th anniversary of the Lord’s death and the 249th anniversary of the independence of the United States.
This article first appeared on NBCNews.com. Read more from NBC News here:
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