Biden Pardons Son Hunter
US Pres. Joe Biden issued a full and unconditional pardon for his son Hunter on Sunday, covering federal gun and tax convictions as well as potential offenses from January 2014 through December 2024.
Facts
- US Pres. Joe Biden issued a full and unconditional pardon for his son Hunter on Sunday, covering federal gun and tax convictions as well as potential offenses from January 2014 through December 2024.[1][2]
- In a statement, Biden said, "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."[3]
- The White House announced the pardon after Thanksgiving weekend, with Biden stating he made the decision after concluding that "raw politics" had "infected" the judicial process and "led to a miscarriage of justice."[4]
- The president's decision contradicts his previous public statements, including his June declaration that he wouldn't pardon his son and would abide by the jury's decision.[5][6]
- The pardon comes weeks before Hunter was scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 12 for federal gun charges and Dec. 16 for tax evasion charges, which carried a combined maximum sentence of 42 years.[2][7]
- Hunter was convicted in June of illegally buying and possessing a gun while being a drug user and later pleaded guilty to nine tax offenses related to $1.4M in unpaid taxes.[8]
Sources: [1]CNN, [2]NBC, [3]BBC News, [4]Reuters, [5]The New York Times, [6]Al Jazeera, [7]Associated Press and [8]FOX News.
Narratives
- Democratic narrative, as provided by The Guardian. Hunter Biden's prosecution was politically motivated and unfair, targeting him solely because of his relationship with the president. The charges were unusually harsh for cases involving tax payment delays and gun form violations, especially considering Hunter's documented struggle with addiction and subsequent recovery.
- Republican narrative, as provided by Breitbart and FOX News. The pardon represents an abuse of presidential power and breaks Biden's repeated promises to the American public. This action undermines the justice system's integrity and sets a dangerous precedent for future presidents to protect family members from legal consequences.
