02 December 2024 , 10:31
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Joe Biden has pardoned his son, Hunter, after repeatedly saying he wouldn’t.
Hunter, 54, had pleaded guilty to nine federal tax charges and was convicted of three felony counts for lying on a federal firearms application.
Describing Hunter as being ‘selectively and unfairly prosecuted’, Biden issued an executive grant of clemency for his son yesterday.
The president’s son faced up to 17 years behind bars and had a scheduled sentencing hearing in Los Angeles on December 16.
Biden’s executive order covered any offences which Hunter ‘committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from Jan 1, 2014, through Dec 1, 2024’.
He said: ‘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.’
In a post on Truth Social, incoming Republican president Donald Trump who pardoned his friends and allies during his previous term, called the pardon: ‘Such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!’
The decision also faced criticism from Biden’s own partner. Colorado Governor Jared Polis wrote on X: ‘This is a bad precedent that could be abused by later presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation.’
A jury found Hunter guilty in June, dragging out his history of crack cocaine, alcohol and crippling spending habits.