President Joe Biden backtracked on past promises and issued a pardon for his son, Hunter Biden, just days before his sentencing.
In a personal statement from the 46th president, Biden says his decision was prompted by his belief of “raw politics” infecting the process. “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.
Hunter Biden was due to be sentenced on Dec. 12 on federal gun charges. In a separate criminal case, he is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 16 after pleading guilty to federal tax evasion charges. A senior White House official said the decision to issue a “full and unconditional pardon” was made over the Thanksgiving weekend for all offenses committed by his son or “taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024.”
In June 2024, the proud father claimed, “I will not pardon him,” after learning of the guilty verdicts.
Biden mentioned the struggles of addiction that Hunter deals with and feels his political opponents used them to “break him.” 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 continued.
“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.”
Republican lawmakers were taken aback by the president’s moves since, in early 2024, Biden promised that he wouldn’t be pardoning Hunter since “no one is above the law.”
Reps. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) and Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) retweeted the post with the comment, “Unless your last name is Biden.”
Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) called the move “disgraceful” and labeled Biden as a liar to the American people, according to Fox News. “You’ve been lied to every step of the way by this Administration and the corrupt Biden family. This is just the latest in their long coverup scheme,” Scalise said.
“They never play by the same rules they force on everyone else. Disgraceful.”
While the pardon has not officially been signed yet, Hunter issued a statement reiterating his sorrow and “shame” brought on the First Family. “
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. In the throes of addiction, I squandered many opportunities and advantages,” he wrote.
“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.”
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