President Joe Biden Under Fire After Granting His Son National Pardon

United States President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, despite his earlier pledge to stay out of judicial proceedings against his son, who pleaded guilty to tax violations and was convicted on firearms-related charges.

According to Reuters, Biden granted “a full and unconditional” pardon to Hunter Biden for any offenses committed between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024. In a recent statement, the president said:

“Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter. 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.”

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The White House had consistently stated that the president would not pardon Hunter, a rehabilitating drug addict who became a focal point of Republican criticism, including from President-elect Donald Trump. Biden added in his statement:

“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,” before departing for a trip to Africa.

Republicans swiftly criticized the president’s decision, with several prominent figures speaking out. Trump questioned the fairness of the pardon, writing on his Truth Social platform:

“Does the pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years? Such an abuse and miscarriage of justice!”

Representative James Comer, chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, accused Biden of lying about his family’s alleged corrupt influence-peddling activities.

In response to the criticism, President Biden defended his decision, claiming that his son was subjected to selective prosecution. He pointed out that charges like those Hunter faced—felony charges for incorrectly filling out a gun form and tax violations stemming from addiction issues—rarely result in criminal trials for others who resolve their cases by paying owed amounts with interest and penalties.

“It is clear that Hunter was treated differently. The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election,” Biden said.

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He continued: “In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me—and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough.”

Biden concluded: “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. 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.” He added.

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