Biden defends Hunter's pardon amid political backlash

US President Joe Biden announced Sunday (Dec. 1) that he has issued a full and unconditional pardon for his son, Hunter Biden, who was set to face sentencing this month for gun and tax-related convictions. The pardon, which President-elect Donald Trump cannot overturn, also covers any potential federal crimes committed by Hunter between 2014 and 2024, including his controversial tenure on the board of Ukrainian gas company Burisma. Biden justified his decision by claiming his son was "unfairly prosecuted" due to political motivations, saying, "Hunter was treated differently from others who committed similar offenses." He added that opponents in Congress had "instigated" the charges to attack him.

The pardon spares Hunter Biden from potential prison time, halting sentencing hearings originally scheduled for mid-December. This move, however, marks a significant reversal of Joe Biden's earlier public promises not to intervene in his son's legal troubles. Hunter's convictions stemmed from a June trial where he was found guilty of illegally purchasing a firearm amid struggles with drug addiction and a September guilty plea for $1.4 million in unpaid taxes spent on luxury items. Since 2018, investigations into Hunter were spearheaded by Trump-appointed special counsel David Weiss, with critics arguing that the prosecutions were politically motivated. Biden, who had previously pledged to stay out of the matter, ultimately concluded that "raw politics had infected the process" and that overzealous prosecutors unfairly targeted his son.

Biden's decision to pardon Hunter came after what he described as significant "wrestling" with the issue. A White House official stated the president believed his political opponents were attempting to "break" his son during his recovery from addiction, pointing to Hunter's five and a half years of sobriety despite relentless personal and political attacks. The Bidens spent Thanksgiving together in Nantucket, where the president reportedly finalized his decision. In his Sunday statement, Biden spoke not only as a president but also as a father, saying, "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."

(Source： CNN)

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