U.S. President Joe Biden announced on Sunday that he had pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, who had been convicted on charges related to false statements during a gun background check, illegal firearm possession, and federal tax offenses.
In a statement released by the White House, Biden defended his decision, asserting that he had kept his promise to avoid interfering with the decisions of the United States Department of Justice.
“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,” he said.
This decision marks a shift from previous White House statements, which had maintained that Biden would not issue a pardon or commute the sentences of his son, who has struggled with addiction and faced ongoing scrutiny from political opponents, including President-elect Donald Trump.
“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,” Biden added.
The U.S. president also expressed frustration with what he described as a relentless effort to discredit his son, who has been sober for over five years.
“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,” Biden said. “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.”
