President Biden pardons son Hunter, giving him almost 11 years of blanket immunity

President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden on Sunday, despite repeatedly claiming he wouldn’t, saying “raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice.”
Biden gave his son a “full and unconditional pardon” for any criminal offenses committed from Jan. 1, 2014, to Dec. 1, 2024, “including but not limited to all offenses charged or prosecuted (including any that have resulted in convictions) by Special Counsel David C. Weiss… .”
In a statement issued by the White House, Biden said he thought his son Hunter was “singled out” because he was the president’s son and that he would have received a plea deal otherwise.
Hunter Biden was set to appear for sentencing in two different courts later this month. He was supposed to appear in federal court in Delaware on Dec. 12 after he was convicted of buying a gun while lying about using drugs, and on Dec. 16, he was set to appear before a federal court in California for sentencing over tax fraud charges that he pled guilty to. Biden owed $1.4 million in federal taxes, which he subsequently paid in addition to interest and penalties.
The charges were brought by Department of Justice special counsel David Weiss, who earlier had struck a deal with Biden’s attorneys. That deal fell apart when a federal judge noted the investigation into Biden was still open, as the Deseret News previously reported. Republicans had criticized the deal for being too lenient.
Throughout his son’s struggles with addiction, President Biden has consistently stood by him, offering unconditional support and reportedly staying in daily contact.
In light of the heartbreaks the Biden family has endured, including the tragic deaths of his daughter Naomi and first wife Neilia in a 1972 car accident and the death of his first son Beau from brain cancer in 2015, Hunter holds a special place in his father’s heart.
Some supporters of President Biden had suggested he should pardon his son before leaving office. And President-elect Donald Trump didn’t rule out pardoning Hunter when asked by conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt last month whether he would. “I wouldn’t take it off the books … despite what they’ve done to me,” he said, as Forbes reported.
“See, unlike Joe Biden, despite what they’ve done to me, where they’ve gone after me so viciously … and Hunter’s a bad boy,” Trump said at the time. “He’s been a bad boy. … But I happen to think it’s very bad for our country.”
President Biden had said he wouldn’t pardon his son, telling ABC’s David Muir in June, when he was still running for president, that he had ruled that out. During subsequent White House press briefings, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre repeatedly told reporters Biden would not pardon his son, including after he dropped out of the presidential race in July and again after Vice President Kamala Harris lost to Trump in November.
On Nov. 7, two days after the election, Jean-Pierre was asked at a press briefing whether President Biden had plans to pardon his son, and she said the answer was “no.”
But in Sunday’s statement, Biden said he was pardoning his son because his “political opponents in Congress” helped undo the plea deal that would have kept Hunter Biden out of jail.
“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,” the president said.
But, he added, “It is clear that Hunter was treated differently. The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election.”
President Biden suggested that the criminal cases against his son threatened his sobriety.
“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,” Biden said. “Enough is enough.”
President Biden will remain in office until Trump is inaugurated on Jan. 20.
Almost immediately after news broke that the president had pardoned his son, Biden’s decision was criticized on social media.
Republican Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs said, on X, “Hunter Biden is a criminal—but his corrupt father won’t let justice be served under an Administration that follows the rule of law. Joe Biden will go down as one of the most corrupt presidents in American history.”
Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis wrote, on X, “While as a father I certainly understand President (Biden’s) natural desire to help his son by pardoning him, I am disappointed that he put his family ahead of the country. This is a bad precedent that could be abused by later Presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation. When you become President, your role is Pater familias of the nation. Hunter brought the legal trouble he faced on himself, and one can sympathize with his struggles while also acknowledging that no one is above the law, not a President and not a President’s son.”
Utah Sen. Mike Lee suggested investigations into Hunter Biden and his foreign business dealings would continue.
“I look forward to Hunter Biden testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee I want to know the answer to an important question: who is “the big guy”?,” he wrote on X, referring to reported conversations between Hunter Biden and business associates.
President Biden’s statement, in full, said:
“Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter. 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.
“The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election. Then, a carefully negotiated plea deal, agreed to by the Department of Justice, unraveled in the court room — with a number of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure on the process. 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.
“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.”