President Joe Biden granted a presidential pardon to his son Hunter Biden contradicting his assurances to maintain a hands-off approach.
The Daily Mail reported that in a Sunday evening announcement that caught many by surprise, President Joe Biden issued a presidential pardon to Hunter Biden for three federal felony charges.
This move came despite Biden’s repeated public affirmations over the years that he would not intervene in any legal proceedings involving his son.
These charges were related to Hunter Biden's misleading about his drug use on a firearms purchase form. Convicted on June 11, 2024, the pardon has sparked a broad spectrum of reactions, highlighting a stark deviation from Biden’s previous public stances.
Leading up to the conviction, Biden consistently stated he would stand by the judicial process regarding his son's legal issues. On ABC News just before Hunter's conviction, Biden explicitly stated his stance, confirming he would not consider a pardon.
However, following Hunter's conviction, inner circle discussions about a pardon began to take shape. This internal shift was influenced heavily by the family and an emotional appeal from Hunter himself during personal moments, such as their time together attending mass.
The discussions about potentially pardoning Hunter were not public knowledge, and Biden's administration, including White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, vehemently denied any speculation around such decisions as late as September 2024.
President Biden’s decision was finalized after attending mass with his family, where the personal nature of the event and discussions with his family added to his internal conflict. He described this experience in a statement as wrestling with the decision, indicative of his turmoil over intervening personally in his son’s legal matters.
It was reported that after this familial gathering, Biden communicated to his staff his intention to move forward with the pardon. By Sunday evening, after his Thanksgiving vacation, he had made the official announcement.
This decision rendered Hunter Biden's upcoming sentencing for December 4 unnecessary, as the pardon eliminated the need for further judicial proceedings regarding his firearm form falsifications.
The administration's earlier denials of such a move underscore the sensitive nature of this pardon. Jean-Pierre's repeated public rejections of the notion of a pardon as recently as a few months prior marked a definitive position, making the announcement a controversial shift.
Previously, Hunter Biden had also pleaded guilty to withholding $1.4 million in taxes from 2016 to 2019, adding layers to the public scrutiny over the Biden family's legal entanglements. The pardon does not cover these tax charges, focusing solely on firearm-related felonies.
In reaction, former President Donald Trump lambasted the pardon, implying hypocrisy and hinting at similar pardons for those involved in the January 6 riot, stirring political tensions further.
Biden, who has presented himself as an advocate for strict adherence to legal norms and a champion of judicial independence, finds his actions now at odds with previously articulated values. This pardon may have assuaged personal and familial concerns but has sparked a debate on the implications for legal fairness and political integrity.
The discrepancy between Biden’s early assurances and his ultimate decision has raised questions about the pressures influencing a sitting president's choices, especially when they involve personal family matters entangled with public duties.
A source close to the president commented on the inevitability of this decision, suggesting that once the Justice Department sought jail time, the path to a pardon was essentially decided, despite earlier pronouncements.
This incident has peeled back layers on the Biden administration’s handling of sensitive personal and public intersections. Analysts suggest this may affect Biden’s image as a leader committed to separating personal affiliations from his presidential duties.