Joe Biden Pardons Son, Hunter, Weeks Before Leaving Office

US President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden

President Joe Biden has granted an official pardon to his son Hunter Biden, who was facing sentencing in two criminal cases. The decision marks a reversal from Biden’s previous stance against clemency for his son.

In a statement, the president defended his actions, stating that Hunter had been “singled out” and describing the cases as “a miscarriage of justice.” Hunter Biden had earlier pleaded guilty to tax charges in September and was convicted in June for being an illegal drug user in possession of a firearm, making him the first child of a sitting president to face criminal convictions.

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The pardon drew sharp criticism from President-elect Donald Trump, who remarked: “Does the Pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the [6 January] Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years? Such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!” Trump’s comment referred to his supporters who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election results.

This full and unconditional pardon comes despite the White House previously ruling out clemency for Hunter Biden. As recently as September, the press secretary had stated that the president would not intervene in his son’s legal troubles.

However, in his Sunday evening announcement, Biden emphasized his belief in the justice system but asserted that “politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice”.

“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,” he said.

Biden said he wrestled with the decision, and added: “once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further.”

Hunter Biden, son of President Biden, arrives for his trial at the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building on June 07, 2024, in Wilmington, Delaware.(Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision,” he said.

In a reaction statement, Hunter Biden said mistakes he made during the darkest days of his addiction had been “exploited to publicly humiliate and shame” his family for political sport.

“I will never take the clemency I have been given today for granted and will devote the life I have rebuilt to helping those who are still sick and suffering,” the 54-year-old added.

Hunter Biden has been sober for five and a half years, President Joe Biden confirmed.

This is not the first instance of a U.S. president pardoning a family member. In 2001, Bill Clinton pardoned his younger half-brother, Roger Clinton, for a 1985 cocaine-related offense. Similarly, in 2020, Donald Trump pardoned Charles Kushner, his daughter Ivanka’s father-in-law, who was recently announced as Trump’s pick for ambassador to France in his new cabinet.