President Joe Biden issued a pardon for his son, Hunter Biden, on gun and tax charges, citing that the prosecution was unfairly influenced by politics.
The pardon came despite previous assurances from the White House that the president had no intention of pardoning his son.
Driving the news: Hunter Biden faced convictions related to tax evasion and gun charges, with potential penalties of up to 17 years in federal prison for tax charges and 25 years for the gun-related conviction.
- Hunter Biden was scheduled to face sentencing in December for both the gun-related charges in Delaware and the tax charges in California.
- President Biden’s Press Secretary had previously stated that the president had no intentions of pardoning Hunter Biden after the election results.
What they’re saying: The president said in a statement that political opponents in Congress instigated the charges against his son, leading to a plea deal falling apart in August.
- “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,” Biden said. “I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.”
