President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter on Sunday in a sudden reversal of his stance on the issue. The Democrat had repeatedly said he would not use his executive authority to pardon the first son or even commute his sentence on tax and gun charges.
"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 a statement.
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The pardon means Hunter Biden, who was convicted on tax and gun-related crimes, will not be sentenced – therefore not go to prison. The judge in the case is expected to cancel the sentencing hearings, which were scheduled on December 12 and December 16.
In his statement, Biden said that his son was 'selectively and unfairly prosecuted'. “Hunter was treated differently," the president added.
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"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. 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."
However, Biden's decision is controversial – especially since he had repeatedly spoken about not using his executive authority to pardon Hunter.
Here is an old video:
I'm old enough to remember when Joe Biden said he wouldn't pardon his son Hunter. pic.twitter.com/OGtGUQPoRN
— Brick Suit (@Brick_Suit) December 2, 2024
Earlier this year, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was also asked whether a pardon for Hunter Biden was on the cards. She said 'no'.