Joe Biden has issued a pardon for his son Hunter following his conviction on federal gun charges, despite previously claiming he would not do so.
The president is officially announced the decision on Sunday night, saying that his son had been “selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted” by the Justice Department. In a lengthy statement he he said he hoped the American people would understand the decision as a father.
The pardon comes less than two weeks ahead of Hunter’s sentencing on Decmeber 12 for his conviction on federal gun charges. Hunter Biden also is set to be sentenced in a separate criminal case on December 16, after pleading guilty in September on federal tax evasion charges.
“Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter,” Biden said in a statement issued on Sunday. “From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted.
“Without aggravating factors like use in a crime, multiple purchases, or buying a weapon as a straw purchaser, people are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form.
“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. It is clear that Hunter was treated differently.”
In a separate statement on Sunday evening, Hunter Biden said “never take the clemency I have been given today for granted.”
His father’s sudden announcement was a full reversal of the president’s stance some six months ago, when he said he would would not pardon Hunter, should he be convicted.
In June ABC News’ David Muir asked the president point blank if he would accept the outcome of his son’s trial. “Yes,” the president replied, also telling Muir he would rule out pardoning his son if convicted. Biden also told reporters as his son faced trial in the Delware gun case, “I abide by the jury decision. I will do that and I will not pardon him.”
As recently as November 8, days after Trump’s victory, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre ruled out a pardon or clemency for the younger Biden, saying, “We’ve been asked that question multiple times. Our answer stands, which is no.”
However, in his Sunday statement, Biden went on to claim that the charges against his son had come about “only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election,” and that the carefully negotiated plea deal had subsequently “unraveled in the court room.”
“Had the plea deal held, it would have been a fair, reasonable resolution of Hunter’s cases. 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 – and that is wrong.
“There has been an effort to break Hunter – who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. 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.”
The president added: “For my entire career I have followed a simple principle: just tell the American people the truth. They’ll be fair-minded. Here’s the truth: I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice – and once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further.
“I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.”
