President Biden pardons son Hunter Biden
Washington — President Joe Biden announced Sunday night that he had signed a pardon for his son, Hunter Biden, in a major reversal from the final weeks of his presidency.
Mr Biden has repeatedly pledged not to pardon his son Convicted in June of three separate felony charges He pleaded guilty to lying on documents to obtain the firearm in connection with his purchase of a revolver in 2018 while he was battling an addiction to illegal drugs. Nine counts of tax evasion There was a separate case in September.
“Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter. From the day I took office, I have said I will not interfere with Department of Justice decisions, even though I saw my son being selectively and unfairly treated , but I kept my word,” Biden said in a statement Sunday night.
The president argued that “Hunter was treated differently than others” in similar situations and claimed the charges came after “several political opponents in Congress incited them to attack me and oppose my election.”
“No reasonable person, after studying the facts of Hunter’s case, can come to any other conclusion than that Hunter was singled out simply because he is my son, and that is wrong,” Biden said.
Hunter Biden was investigated and prosecuted by Special Counsel David Weiss. Weiss was a Trump-appointed federal prosecutor in Delaware who was retained by the Biden administration in 2021 when other Trump-era prosecutors were asked to resign to continue the investigation into Hunter’s conduct. . Attorney General Merrick Garland later elevated Weiss to special counsel after whistleblowers and congressional Republicans alleged irregularities in the investigation.
Weiss’ office declined to comment on the pardon.
Mr Biden pledged not to pardon his son before withdrawing from the presidential race, explain He already ruled out that possibility in an interview with ABC News in June. After selection leave the game The next month, the White House insisted that Biden had no plans to pardon his son, even as the possible political fallout from the decision was mitigated.
White House explain As recently as last month, the president still had no plans to pardon his son.
“I acknowledge and take responsibility for the mistakes I made during the darkest days of my addiction—mistakes that were used to publicly humiliate and humiliate me and my family for a political campaign. Despite this, I have remained sober for over five years. for many years because of my unwavering faith and the unwavering love and support of my family and friends,” Hunter Biden said in a statement Sunday night.
“I will never take for granted the clemency I have received today and will dedicate the life I have rebuilt to those who remain sick and suffering,” the president’s son said.
Hunter Biden will be sentenced on December 12 for the gun conviction and on December 16 for the tax evasion charge.
After the White House announced the pardon, Hunter Biden’s legal team notified federal judges in his case in Delaware and California in an effort to formally dismiss the case and cancel a sentencing hearing scheduled for later this month meeting.
Hunter Biden is Charged with three felony firearm charges In September, after reaching a plea deal with federal prosecutors, he will plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges and enter a diversion program rather than plead guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. collapsed.
At a court hearing as the plea deal was finalized, the judge on the case expressed concern about the terms, while Hunter Biden’s legal team pushed back against prosecutors, questioning whether the agreement was designed to protect the president’s son from future Any criminal charges.
Hunter Biden is accused of lying on documents and illegally purchasing and possessing a gun while high on crack cocaine. Federal law prohibits illegal drug users from possessing firearms.
Prosecutors say the president’s son filed a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives form when he purchased a revolver and several other items from a gun store in Wilmington, Delaware, on Oct. 12, 2018. He lied about his drug use.
In another case in California last December, a federal grand jury Hunter Biden charged Involving three tax felonies and six misdemeanors. The president’s son is accused of failing to pay at least $1.4 million in federal taxes while living a “lavish lifestyle.”
According to the indictment, Hunter Biden received approximately $7 million in income from overseas business transactions from 2016 to 2019. He is accused of spending nearly $5 million on “all expenses except taxes” during the same period, including drugs, escorts, luxury hotels, cars and clothing. Hunter Biden is accused of misclassifying these purchases as business expenses.
Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to tax evasion charges on September 5 after his unsuccessful attempt to raise an Alford plea, which would have required the defendant to accept a guilty verdict while maintaining his innocence.
“Absent the aggravating circumstances of criminal use, multiple purchases or purchasing a weapon as a straw buyer, people will almost never be tried for a felony just because of the way they fill out a gun form,” Biden said Sunday night. “Those are People who pay their taxes late due to a serious drug addiction but then pay them back with interest and penalties are often treated with non-criminal penalties. “It’s clear that Hunter was treated differently.”
This is not the first time a president has pardoned a family member. President Bill Clinton pardoned his half-brother Roger Clinton before leaving office. President-elect Donald Trump pardoned his son-in-law’s father, Charles Kushner, during his first term. Trump announced his intention Nominate Kushner Saturday as U.S. ambassador to France.
contributed to this report.
