Reversing his past promises to not use the powers of the presidency for the benefit of his family, US President Joe Biden on Sunday issued an official pardon for his son, Hunter Biden, sparing him a possible prison sentence for two criminal cases related to federal felony gun and tax convictions.
Joe Biden had time and again said that he would not pardon his son or commute his sentence after convictions in the two cases in Delaware and California. Mr Biden's decision to use his position to help his son marks a significant shift in the Democratic President's political position, who promised Americans to restore norms and respect for the rule of law, after Donald Trump's first term in office.
Biden's Statement
"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," the US President said in a statement.
Mr Biden, who is in the final weeks of his presidency before Trump takes office on January 20, said that his opponents had sought to break his son with selective prosecution.
"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," said the President.
He stressed that people were rarely brought to trial for felony charges for how they filled out a gun form, and said others who were late in paying taxes because of addiction but paid them back with interest and penalties, as his son had, typically received non-criminal resolutions to their cases.
"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," Mr Biden said.
"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," he added.
Hunter Biden, a recovering drug addict who became a target of Republicans, has been granted "a full and unconditional" pardon for any offences in a window from January 1, 2014, to December 1, 2024.
Mr Biden said he had made his decision to pardon over the weekend.
The president, his wife, Jill Biden, and their family including Hunter, spent the Thanksgiving holiday in Nantucket, Massachusetts, and returned to Washington on Saturday night.
"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," he said.
"I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision," the President added.
What Is Presidential Pardon?
The US Constitution gives power to presidents to grant clemency, which can include commutations and pardons. Granting commutation reduces penalties against the convicted felon without erasing the conviction. Meanwhile, a pardon forgives a person's federal crimes entirely.
Republicans Criticized Joe Biden's Move
"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!" President-elect Donald Trump said in a post on his Truth Social site, referring to those convicted for storming the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, after Trump claimed falsely that he had won the 2020 election.
"Joe Biden has lied from start to finish about his family's corrupt influence-peddling activities," said Representative James Comer, chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.
Cases Against Hunter Biden
The younger Biden faced sentencing for the false statements and gun convictions this month. He was convicted earlier this year of lying about his drug use when he bought a gun -- a felony.
In September he also pleaded guilty to federal charges of failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes while spending lavishly on drugs, sex workers and luxury items. He was scheduled for sentencing in that case on December 16.
Earlier, Hunter Biden has paid the back taxes, as well as penalties levied by authorities. In August 2023, his lawyers said prosecutors had reneged on a plea deal that would have resolved the tax and firearms charges -- but that agreement fell apart at the last minute.
For tax evasion, Hunter Biden was facing up to 17 years in prison. For the separate gun charge, he was facing 25 years in prison.
"I have admitted and taken responsibility for my mistakes during the darkest days of my addiction - mistakes that have been exploited to publicly humiliate and shame me and my family for political sport," Hunter Biden said in a statement on Sunday.
"In the throes of addiction, I squandered many opportunities and advantages ... 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," He said further, adding he had remained sober for more than five years.
His case has long been a thorn in the Biden family's side, particularly during this election year when Republicans have charged that Hunter was being treated too leniently.
However, President Biden's withdrawal from the presidential race in favour of Vice President Kamala Harris had taken much of the zeal out of the Republican drive to make an example out of his son. Still, prosecutors appeared unwilling to cut him any slack, rejecting a so-called "Alford plea," whereby Hunter Biden would admit guilt because of the high probability of conviction, but would maintain his innocence.
Power And Pardon
The move brings fresh scrutiny over the independence of the US judicial system -- especially at a time when incoming president Donald Trump has moved to appoint loyalists to the FBI and Justice Department himself.
But, this is not the first time when a US President used pardon to help family members and other political allies.
Bill Clinton pardoned his half-brother for old cocaine charges and Mr Trump pardoned the father of his son-in-law for tax evasion, though in both cases those men had already served their prison terms.
Mr Trump has also vowed to pardon supporters who stormed the US Capitol in a deadly riot on January 6, 2021, in a bid to reverse his 2020 election loss.
