Pardon Biden For One Last Laugh
Biden described the charges against his son as "politically-driven."
President Joe Biden signed a full pardon for his son, Hunter Biden, on Sunday, asserting that the felony charges against him were politically motivated.
The announcement came after months of speculation and contradictory statements from both the president and his press secretary regarding the possibility of a pardon.
Hunter Biden, 53, was convicted in June on three felony charges related to his 2018 purchase and possession of a firearm, after it was revealed that he had concealed his drug use during the transaction.
In September, he also pleaded guilty to nine federal tax charges, avoiding a trial.
Despite earlier statements from both the president and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who repeatedly stated that no pardon would be granted, Biden reversed course.
On November 7, Jean-Pierre had reaffirmed that the answer was "no" when asked about the prospect of a pardon, just two days after President-elect Donald Trump’s victory.
In a statement released by the White House, President Biden issued a "full and unconditional pardon" for any offenses his son may have committed between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024.
The move, Biden argued, was necessary to protect his son from what he described as a politically-driven effort to undermine him.
"There's no reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases who can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son," the president said. "This has been an effort to break Hunter, who has been sober for five and a half years despite relentless attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to break him, they’ve tried to break me, and it must stop now."
The pardon marks a historic moment as Hunter Biden’s criminal trial in June was the first case involving the child of a sitting president. As legal battles continue, President Biden’s statement highlights the broader political context, reflecting concerns that his family has been targeted as part of ongoing partisan divides.
Critics of the pardon have raised questions about the potential influence of political connections in the case, while supporters of the Biden family have argued that the charges were part of an unjust campaign to discredit the president.
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