United States of America outgoing President Joe Biden has granted his son Hunter an unconditional pardon following federal tax and gun convictions, marking a reversal as he prepares to leave office.
Hunter Biden faced the prospect of years in federal prison over a raft of charges relating to gun possession and tax fraud.
The president’s son was convicted in June of illegal possession of a firearm, as well as lying about his drug use when buying it.
“Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter,” the president said in a statement. It is a “full and unconditional pardon,” according to a copy of the executive grant of clemency.
Prosecutors said he lied on the firearm application form by claiming he was not using drugs. Hunter’s attorneys argued he did not consider himself an addict and had been clean at that time.
Hunter had the gun – a .38-caliber Colt Cobra Special – for about 11 days, and never fired it in that time, according to his lawyers.
That conviction carried a maximum sentence of 25 years, although Hunter was expected to face a shorter sentence of up to 16 months.
Then, in September, the president’s son pleaded guilty to nine federal tax charges for falsifying records and failing to file returns. He faced up to 17 years in prison, with a sentencing hearing scheduled for 16 December.
Hunter is the first child of a sitting US leader to be convicted of a federal crime.
Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement that “failed witch hunts against President Trump have proven that the Democrat-controlled [Department of Justice] 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,” Cheung added.
Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chair of the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement posted to the social platform X on Sunday that the president “has lied from start to finish about his family’s corrupt influence peddling activities.”
“Not only has he falsely claimed that he never met with his son’s foreign business associates and that his son did nothing wrong, but he also lied when he said he would not pardon Hunter Biden,” Comer continued.
Despite Trump commonly saying amid Hunter Biden’s federal gun trial that he was being treated better than most, he did say late last month that he wouldn’t discount a pardon for the president’s son if he won this year’s election.