Joe Biden backtracks, pardons son Hunter for gun crimes, tax fraud

Joe Biden backtracks, pardons son Hunter for gun crimes, tax fraud

US President Joe Biden Grants Controversial Pardon to Son Hunter

PulseNets has learnt that US President Joe Biden has issued a presidential pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, following convictions on tax and gun charges. This move comes despite the President’s prior assurances that he would not exercise his executive authority to intervene in his son’s legal matters.

Earlier in an interview with ABC News, Mr. Biden explicitly ruled out granting a pardon or clemency for Hunter. Additionally, a statement released in November by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre had reaffirmed this stance, underscoring Mr. Biden’s commitment to not using his powers to shield his son.

However, speaking in a statement on Sunday night, President Biden described Hunter’s legal battles as a clear instance of being “singled out” and branded them “a miscarriage of justice.”

“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,” the President stated. “I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.”

Sources told PulseNets that Mr. Biden also accused political opponents of undermining the plea deal that was originally designed to resolve his son’s cases.

“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,” President Biden told PulseNets. “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.”

According to legal documents reviewed by PulseNets, Hunter Biden was set to be sentenced on December 12 for federal gun charges. He was also slated to begin incarceration on December 16 for tax evasion charges, following a guilty plea he entered in September.

Also Read: Tinubu denies meeting with US President Joe Biden and criticises Peter Obi’s supporters

As President Biden’s tenure draws to a close, with President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration scheduled for January 20, 2025, this pardon has stirred significant public and political debate. PulseNets reported that while it is not uncommon for U.S. presidents to grant pardons to associates, donors, or allies, this marks the first time a sitting president has pardoned his own child.