Biden pardons his son Hunter after promising not to

President Joe Biden on Sunday night said he signed a pardon for his son Hunter, absolving him of federal gun and tax crime convictions. Biden reversed course after previously saying repeatedly that he would not grant a pardon, or commute a sentence, for Hunter. In a written statement from the White House, the president accused the Justice Department of treating Hunter differently than other suspects. Most gun and tax evasion cases of this nature are resolved in plea deals and do not make it to a judge, Biden said. A judge rejected a plea deal for Hunter Biden earlier this year. President Biden claimed in his Sunday statement that opponents in Congress worked behind the scenes to strike down Hunter’s plea deal.

“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… Enough is enough,” Biden wrote.

According to the statement, the president reached his decision earlier this weekend. The full and unconditional pardon applies to all of Robert Hunter Biden’s activities from Jan. 1, 2014-Dec. 1, 2024.

What were the charges? In September, Hunter pleaded guilty to nine felony and misdemeanor counts related to his failure to pay more than $1 million in taxes between 2016 and 2019. The tax charges carried a total maximum sentence of 17 years in prison. In June, he was found guilty of three felony gun charges. He had not yet been sentenced on those counts.

What is the reaction? House Oversight Committee chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., wrote on social media that Hunter’s charges were just a small part of what he called the blatant corruption the President and his family members have lied about. He said it was unfortunate that the president and his family are continuing to seek to avoid accountability.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said he was shocked President Biden pardoned his son Hunter, adding “shame on me” for believing his many promises not to do so.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, characterized the pardon as a bad precedent that later presidents could abuse. He predicted the decision would tarnish President Biden’s reputation. Citing the Latin phrase pater familias, he said President Biden was the father of the nation, and accused the younger Biden of bringing the legal trouble on himself. Consequently, he said one could sympathize with Hunter’s struggles, while at the same time acknowledging that no one is above the law.