President Joe Biden granted a pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, on Sunday night, reversing his previous stance of not using executive power to intervene in his son’s legal matters.
The decision comes as Hunter was set to face sentencing on federal gun charges on December 12 and tax evasion charges on December 16.
In a statement, President Biden explained that while he believes in the justice system, he felt that politics had unduly influenced the case, leading to a miscarriage of justice. “I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision,” Biden said.
The pardon covers any offenses Hunter Biden may have committed between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024. Biden also addressed his son’s struggles with addiction, accusing political opponents of attempting to “break” him by targeting Hunter. The decision was made over the weekend, with Biden informing senior aides on Sunday.
“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 allowed 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.”
A representative for Special Counsel David Weiss did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Hunter Biden’s attorney Abbe Lowell declined to comment.
Steven Cheung, a spokesman for President-elect Donald Trump, said, “The failed witch hunts against President Trump have proven that the Democrat-controlled DOJ and other radical prosecutors are guilty of weaponizing the justice system. That system of justice must be fixed and due process must be restored for all Americans, which is exactly what President Trump will do as he returns to the White House with an overwhelming mandate from the American people.”
Biden, 82, is using his pardon power to ensure Hunter Biden does not spend time in jail as he nears the end of his term in the White House and has no future election to face. In recent months, he has said he would not pardon his son or commute his sentence.
“I will not pardon him,” he said in June after a jury found Hunter Biden guilty on three federal gun charges.
The president has discussed pardoning his son with some of his closest aides at least since Hunter Biden’s conviction in June, said two people with direct knowledge of the discussions about the matter. They said it was decided at the time that he would publicly say he would not pardon his son even though doing so remained on the table.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre recently told reporters that Biden’s position has not changed.
“We’ve been asked that question multiple times. Our answer stands, which is ‘no,’” she said.
Asked last week whether the president is still committed to not granting clemency for his son, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said: “The president has spoken to this.” Pressed about whether Biden’s position has changed, Bates replied, “I don’t have anything to add to what he said already.”
