US President Joe Biden Issues Pardon for Son Hunter Biden Over Gun and Tax Offenses Before Leaving Office

U.S. President Joe Biden has granted a pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, who was facing sentencing this month for federal tax and gun convictions as he prepares to leave office.

In a statement released by the White House on Sunday, December 1, Biden argued that his son had been “singled out” and “selectively, and unfairly” prosecuted because of his family name.

This official pardon is irrevocable and cannot be undone by President-elect Donald Trump.

Hunter Biden was set to be sentenced on December 12 for his conviction on federal gun charges, and on December 16 for a separate case in which he pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion charges in September.

However, following the pardon granted by President Joe Biden, these sentences will no longer take place.

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

In his statement on Sunday night, President Joe Biden granted his son, Hunter Biden, a “full and unconditional pardon” for any offenses committed between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024.

The president also addressed his son’s battles with addiction, emphasizing that political opponents were attempting to “break” Hunter by targeting him with legal action.

Biden condemned the prosecution as unfair and politically motivated, claiming that his son had been “singled out” because of his family name.

“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,” Biden said in his statement.

“There has been an effort to break Hunter — who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. 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.”

In a separate statement, Hunter Biden said he had “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.”

“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 added. “In the throes of addiction, I squandered many opportunities and advantages. In recovery we can be given the opportunity to make amends where possible and rebuild our lives if we never take for granted the mercy that we have been afforded. 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.”