President Joe Biden announced on Sunday night that he has pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, following his convictions in two separate federal cases earlier this year. Hunter Biden, 54, has faced legal battles related to firearms offenses and tax violations, and the pardon marks a departure from the president’s earlier stance that he would not intervene in his son’s legal matters.
The decision to pardon Hunter Biden comes after a tumultuous year in court for the first son, who was convicted on felony firearm charges in June, and pleaded guilty to tax-related offenses in September. Biden’s announcement also frames the pardon as a correction to what he described as unequal treatment compared to others in similar situations. He emphasized that people in similar circumstances, such as those who fail to properly complete a gun purchase form or fail to pay taxes due to addiction, are rarely prosecuted to the same extent.
“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,” he said in a statement. “It is clear that Hunter was treated differently.”
President Biden’s accusations of “double standards” and “unprecedented actions” in his statement defending his son’s pardon have drawn sharp criticism, especially in light of the Biden administration’s own controversial actions. Biden’s comments about Hunter being unfairly prosecuted are particularly ironic following his administration’s handling of former President Donald Trump‘s legal issues. The FBI’s raid of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in 2022 to recover classified documents was described by many as unprecedented and politically charged. Critics argued that the raid was an example of the Justice Department being weaponized for political gain, a charge that echoes some of the president’s own language about the treatment of his son. By highlighting perceived unequal treatment of Hunter Biden, President Biden inadvertently mirrors the very arguments his political opponents have made about the Biden administration’s handling of the Trump investigation.
In the case, prosecutors argued that Hunter lied on a federal firearm form when he checked “No” in response to a question asking if he was an unlawful user of or addicted to controlled substances. This was despite Hunter Biden’s well-documented struggles with addiction, which included a period of crack cocaine use during the time of the purchase.
The other major legal issue for Hunter Biden was his failure to pay taxes on at least $1.4 million of income. After a lengthy investigation, Hunter pled guilty in September to felony tax charges, admitting to evading taxes in 2017 and 2018. This plea came just as jury selection was about to begin for his trial, and was seen by some as an attempt to avoid further public scrutiny and potential jail time.
The charges could have carried a prison sentence of up to 17 years, although Hunter Biden was likely to face a much shorter sentence under federal sentencing guidelines. He was scheduled for sentencing on December 16.
During the summer, President Biden had been adamant that he would not intervene in the Justice Department’s proceedings, even in light of Hunter’s legal issues. Just days after Hunter Biden’s conviction on the gun charges, President Biden reaffirmed that he would “abide by the jury’s decision,” and would not pardon his son.
On the campaign trail, President-elect Donald Trump suggested that he would consider pardoning Hunter Biden if he were elected. Trump, who has faced his own legal challenges, said that while he thought Hunter Biden had been a “bad boy” he believed that a pardon could be warranted.
Additionally, while the pardon resolves the immediate legal issues surrounding Hunter Biden, it is unlikely to end the public and political scrutiny of his actions. His business dealings and personal life continue to attract attention, particularly from Republican lawmakers and critics of President Biden, who view the legal troubles as part of a larger narrative of corruption and misconduct.
Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News
