US President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter on Sunday night, marking a stark reversal from his previous declarations that he would not use his executive authority to grant clemency, according to reporting from NBC News.
The president issued a "full and unconditional pardon" covering any offenses Hunter Biden "committed or may have committed" between Jan. 1, 2014, and Dec. 1, 2024, the White House announced at 2:16 a.m. Eastern time.
"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," Biden said in his statement. "I hope Americans will understand why a father and a president would come to this decision."
Hunter Biden was scheduled for sentencing on Dec. 12 for federal gun charges and Dec. 16 for federal tax evasion charges, to which he pleaded guilty in September. The combined charges carried a maximum prison sentence of 42 years, though the Justice Department indicated that typical sentences are substantially lower.
In his statement, President Biden addressed his son's battle with addiction, arguing that political opponents were attempting to "break" Hunter. "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 said.
The decision contradicts numerous public statements from both the president and his administration. In June, following Hunter's conviction on federal gun charges, President Biden explicitly stated, "I will not pardon him." White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre had recently reaffirmed this position.
Hunter Biden responded with his own statement, acknowledging his past mistakes "during the darkest days of my addiction" while highlighting his ongoing recovery. "Despite all of this, I have maintained my sobriety for more than five years because of my deep faith and the unwavering love and support of my family and friends," he said.
President-elect Trump took to social media to criticize the pardon. "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!" Trump wrote.
