President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden nearly seven weeks before he leaves the White House. This is a reversal from his previous remarks over the summer when he said he would not pardon his son.
Hunter Biden is scheduled to be sentenced on December 12 for his conviction on federal gun charges. He also is set to be sentenced on December 16 in a separate criminal case. He pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion charges in September. The pardon is expected to cover both instances.
“Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter,” President Biden said in a statement Sunday, December 1. “From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted. Without aggravating factors like use in a crime, multiple purchases, or buying a weapon as a straw purchaser, people are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form. Those who were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions, but paid them back subsequently with interest and penalties, are typically given non-criminal resolutions. It is clear that Hunter was treated differently.”
President Biden’s son was accused of engaging in a four-year scheme to evade paying taxes totaling at least $1.4 million and falsifying some of his tax returns.
