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Joe Biden termed charges against his son politically motivated stating that he was singled out only because Hunter was his son.
Outgoing US President Joe Biden on Sunday (local time) issued a “full and unconditional pardon” to his son Hunter, who faced sentencing on gun crime and tax convictions, stating that he was singled out only because he was his son.
Biden termed the charges against his son politically motivated and said that he believes in the justice system.
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“Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter,” Biden said in a statement. “It is a full and unconditional pardon,” according to a copy of the executive grant of clemency.
President-elect Donald Trump does not have the authority to revoke this official clemency grant.
Hunter Biden was convicted earlier this year on federal gun and tax charges. He was set to appear in Delon, California soon where he potentially would have faced lengthy prison sentences.
Notably, by making this move, Biden broke a promise he had made publically and repeatedly both before and after quitting the 2024 presidential race. Both he and his chief White House spokesperson had stated, even when Trump won the race to the White House on November 5, that Biden would neither pardon nor commute Hunter’s sentence, CNN reported.
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What Did Joe Biden Say In Pardon Statement?
“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,” he added.
Biden said that he has always said he would never interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making since his first day in office. “…and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,” he said.
“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,” Biden said.
Biden explained that he issued the pardon because his son was “selectively and unfairly prosecuted,” claiming that “Hunter was treated differently” compared to others who committed similar offenses.
The president accused his political opponents in Congress of “instigating” the charges as part of an effort “to attack me and oppose my election.”
“I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would make this decision,” Biden concluded.
What Next For Hunter Biden?
As per CNN, the pardon by the President will ensure that Hunter is not sentenced by the courts on the charges against him, thus diminishing any chances of his being lodged in jail. Once the judges who are hearing his cases are informed about the pardon, they are expected to cancel the hearings in which they would have pronounced the sentences. The hearings for the gun case were scheduled for December 12 and it was December 16 for the tax case.
In June, Hunter Biden was convicted by a jury for illegally purchasing and possessing a firearm, following a deeply emotional trial that exposed his struggles with drug addiction and family turmoil. Later, in September, he pleaded guilty to nine tax-related offenses for failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes, despite spending extravagantly on escorts, strippers, luxury cars, and drugs, according to the report.
