Why Joe Biden pardoned son Hunter Biden despite earlier pledges of no clemency

In his final days in office, US President Joe Biden issued a pardon for his son, Hunter Biden, who had been convicted of gun charges and pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion.

In a statement released by the White House, Biden said he had granted clemency to Hunter, who was due to be sentenced later this month on two separate criminal cases. The official grant of clemency cannot be rescinded by President-elect Donald Trump.

The move marks a reversal of Biden’s public promise, repeated before and after he dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, that he would not pardon his son.

WHAT BIDEN SAID THEN

Biden, 81, and the White House had consistently stated that there were no plans to pardon Hunter Biden, 54.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated as recently as last month that no presidential pardon would be forthcoming, and Hunter would face the same legal accountability as any other citizen.

In his first statement following Hunter’s conviction in June on felony firearm charges, Biden said he was “proud” of his son and accepted the jury’s verdict.

“I am satisfied that I’m not going to do anything — I said I’d abide by the jury decision. I will do that. And I will not pardon him,” he’d said.

Going a step further, Biden also ruled out commuting his son’s sentence. However, a constant refrain in Biden’s public statements on Hunter’s conviction was that while he is the commander-in-chief, he is also a father.

In the end, a father’s love ultimately prevailed.

WHAT BIDEN SAID NOW

With Hunter’s sentencing just days away, Biden pardoned him, explaining that he decided to do so because his son was “selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,” and that “Hunter was treated differently” from others who commit similar crimes.

The President argued that his son “was singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong.”

He added, “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.”

Hunter is Biden’s only surviving son. His older son, Beau Biden, passed away in 2015 from brain cancer. Another child, Naomi Biden, died in a car accident in 1972, along with Biden’s first wife.

HOW HUNTER BIDEN REACTED

The pardon means Hunter Biden will not be sentenced for his crimes and eliminates any chance of his being sent to prison, which had been a possibility.

In a statement from his legal team, Hunter Biden said, “I have admitted and taken responsibility for my mistakes during the darkest days of my addiction – mistakes that have been exploited to publicly humiliate and shame me and my family for political sport.”

“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 added.