- Hunter Biden was pardoned by his father, President Joe Biden
- Joe was adamant he wasn’t going do it after Donald Trump’s win
- The decision sent shockwaves across Washington DC and beyond
Hunter Biden was officially pardoned by his father, President Joe Biden, in early December – but what exactly was he found guilty of?
The son of the leader of the free world, who has dominated headlines for years due to his substance abuse issues, was found guilty in two different court cases.
What was Hunter Biden found guilty of?
Back in June, Hunter was found guilty of having a firearm and not being honest about his drug use upon purchasing it. This pair of crimes posed the threat of a sentence of up to 25 years behind bars. However, it was expected that he was going to be given a 16-month sentence.
In a totally different case in September 2024, Hunter admitted his guilt to nine federal indictments of falsifying records and not filing tax returns. This one left him facing up to 17 years in prison.
Hunter was yet to be sentenced for either case but now, thanks to his father, whose Democratic Party lost the election last month to President-elect Donald Trump, he won’t be.
Effectively, he’s a free man.
What exactly is a presidential pardon, and why can they be used?
A presidential pardon is the power of the sitting president to remove convictions for federal crimes. It doesn’t extend to state law convictions. Presidents frequently use the power just before they depart the Oval Office
The one, which was “full and unconditional”, is for any misdeed potentially carried out between January 2014 and December 2024.
Joe, who was his party’s nominee until concerns about his cognitive ability reached a fever pitch following his debate with Trump, has used the power 26 times. This is a considerably smaller figure than Trump, who, during his first term in office, dished out 143 pardons. One of these was for the rapper Lil Wayne.
Two-term President Barack Obama, whom Joe served under as Vice President, opted to do it 212 times.
Why is it surprising that Joe Biden pardoned Hunter Biden?
Well, Joe swore he wasn’t going to do it. Along with the backtracking, it represents the first time a president has pardoned his own son.
Joe was still adamant about not doing it on 7 November, two days after Trump’s resounding victory, which secured wins in all the swing states.
After being asked if pardoning Hunter was on the cards, The White House said, “We’ve been asked that question multiple times, our answer stands, which is no.”
However, on 1 December, Joe broke his silence and did it anyway. He cited how he felt Hunter had been treated differently for being his kid.
Joe defended his decision by saying, “people are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form” while arguing “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”.
He continued by arguing that Hunter’s trials “came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election.
“Raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice”, he added. “I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.”
What has been the reaction the pardon?
Obviously, this controversial choice to stop all legal proceedings against his own child has been divisive. Trump wrote on Truth Social it was “such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice”. Trump has been convicted of many crimes, both politically and personally.
On X, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley posted he was “shocked” by the development. This was due to Joe’s previous promise to not move forward with the pardon.
Even members of Joe’s own party were against the move. For example, Democrat congressman Greg Stanton expressed his discontent.
“I respect President Biden, but I think he got this one wrong. This wasn’t a politically-motivated prosecution. Hunter committed felonies, and was convicted by a jury of his peers,” he wrote on X.
However, the former Attorney General Eric Holder, who served in the Obama administration, called it “warranted.”
Sarah Krissoff, the ex-federal prosecutor, admitted to BBC News that there was “a lot of truth” in Joe’s assessment.
Many high-profile Democrats, including sitting governors, opted to stay silent when approached about the news by POLITICO. This included California’s Gavin Newsom and Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer.
There was also no response from Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro, Kentucky’s Andy Beshear, and Illnois’s JB Pritzker. Senators Raphael Warnock, Amy Klobuchar, and Cory Booker also declined to comment.
What has Hunter Biden said about his pardon?
Hunter is very grateful to his old man for letting him off any time in jail for the 10-year period. Upon the news breaking, he swore to atone for his behaviour and work towards helping others also struggling with similar addiction issues.
“I will never take the clemency I have been given today for granted and will devote the life I have rebuilt to helping those who are still sick and suffering,” he said.
