President Biden has pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, NBC News announced Sunday. In a statement shared by ABC News, the president explained that “enough is enough.” He also wrote, “No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion Hunter was singled out because he’s my son — and that is wrong.”
“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,” Biden began.
“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.”
As noted by ABC News, the White House said as recently as last month that Biden had no plans to pardon Hunter. Over the summer Hunter was found guilty of three felony counts related to the purchase and possession of a firearm while addicted to drugs. In September the younger Biden agreed to plead guilty to nine tax-related charges, including three felonies. He would have faced up to 17 years in federal prison.
“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,” Hunter said in a statement released Sunday.
“Despite all of this, I have maintained my sobriety for more than five years because of my deep faith and the unwavering love and support of my family and friends. In the throes of addiction, I squandered many opportunities and advantages. In recovery we can be given the opportunity to make amends where possible and rebuild our lives if we never take for granted the mercy that we have been afforded.”
“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 concluded.
The pardon drew a range of responses from political commentators and celebrities. OutKick.com founder Clay Travis wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “For years Joe Biden’s administration assured you Joe would never pardon Hunter. It’s really extraordinary how blatantly they lie.” OutKick is a sports and political commentary site owned by Fox News.
Scott Dworkin, cofounder of the Democratic Coalition, wrote on X, “The Republican pearl clutching about Biden pardoning Hunter is so ridiculous. They keep whining about him not facing punishment for crimes he committed. They didn’t cry once about Trump, who also isn’t facing punishment for crimes he committed.”
Nate Silver labeled Biden a “selfish and senile old man” following the announcement and added, “Democrats stake a claim to moral superiority when Trump does not.”
Daily Wire founder Ben Shapiro also attacked Biden, who he said has “always been a venal liar who utilized his political power to pursue familial gain.” He added, “So of course he’s pardoning Hunter. He was always going to pardon Hunter. Hunter was the bagman.”
Tennessee Democrat Party leader Chris D. Jackson offered his support for the decision. “Spare me the outrage from MAGA over the pardoning Hunter Biden. He’s a private citizen who was targeted in a political witch hunt from the start,” he wrote on X. “Meanwhile, the president-elect is a convicted felon who seems untouchable, no matter what he does. Sit the hell down.”
