US President Joe Biden has pledged not to pardon his son, but this is the only way to keep Hunter Biden out of prison after he leaves office.
On December 2, President Joe Biden unexpectedly announced that he had signed an executive order granting his son, Hunter Biden, a “full and unconditional pardon.” President-elect Donald Trump will not be able to revoke this official pardon.
President Biden said he decided to pardon Hunter Biden because his son was “unfairly prosecuted” and “treated differently” than others who committed similar crimes.
Previously, President Biden announced that he would not pardon or commute his son's sentence.
The move reverses Mr. Biden's repeated pledges that he would honor any jury verdict against his son and would not pardon Hunter.
The pardon essentially erases all the legal troubles Hunter has faced over the years, helping him avoid the risk of prison time on gun and tax-related charges, weeks before the court was due to announce his sentence.
"I hope America understands this decision"
US President Biden, who had repeatedly pledged to the American people that he would restore norms and respect the rule of law after Trump's first term, finally used his privilege to help his son, breaking his pledge to the American people that he "would not do so".
In an official statement, Mr. Biden emphasized: "No reasonable person who has examined the evidence in the Hunter case could conclude otherwise. This was a politically motivated action and it is wrong."
President Biden emphasized that as a father and a President, he understands this decision will be controversial but cannot stand by and watch the political intrigue targeting Hunter Biden continue.
Hunter Biden, 54, is President Biden's only son after his eldest son Beau Biden died in 2015 from brain cancer.
Hunter Biden was convicted of making false statements in a firearm purchase, making false statements in a firearm purchase and possessing a firearm while under the influence of drugs. The charges relate to his alleged purchase of a handgun while under the influence of drugs. Hunter pleaded guilty in September to nine federal tax evasion charges.
"I believe in the justice system, but I also believe that politics corrupted the process and resulted in a miscarriage of justice," Biden said. "I hope the American people will understand why a father and a president made this decision."
The pardon essentially erases the 12 charges for which Hunter was convicted or pleaded guilty, which carry a maximum sentence of 42 years in prison and a million-dollar fine.
When judges overseeing Hunter Biden’s cases are notified of the pardon, they are likely to cancel previously scheduled sentencing hearings.
Observers say that Donald Trump's election and upcoming return to the White House seem to have contributed to pushing Biden to change his stance to protect his son.
President Trump has nominated former loyal aide Kash Patel to head the FBI, a move that is seen as a move to accelerate the prosecution of Hunter – something Trump had made clear during the campaign that he would retaliate against President Biden if elected.
Biden’s “full and unconditional” pardon will be in place for up to 10 years, and all charges against Hunter Biden will be dismissed. But this “freedom” cannot erase the stain of the US President’s son’s drug addiction and debauchery.
Taxes, guns, addiction and loss
The story of Hunter Biden's troubles and important knots has been deliberately exaggerated by Mr. Biden's political opponents since 2019. This became more serious when information emerged that Mr. Hunter, through his father's influence, built business relationships with foreign businessmen and they brought him millions of dollars.
However, Hunter's children lived a rather luxurious lifestyle and he had to shoulder this expense. Despite his efforts to earn money, millions of dollars in 2012 - 2013, Hunter still could not cover it all. He fell into a dead-end lifestyle, became addicted, divorced his wife, died his brother, and relapsed... Mr. Hunter spent the summer of 2018 in Wilmington using drugs and alcohol openly, attracting media attention in the context of Mr. Biden preparing for the race for the US President in 2020.
When Biden decided to run for president in 2019, Hunter decided to leave Burisma, cutting off his main source of income. He married his second wife, Melissa Cohen, and decided to kick his addiction. On his way to his honeymoon, he discovered that his visa was blocked because of tax debts.
Hunter contacted his accountant Bill Morgan to resolve the issue, but to no avail. Morgan died. The newly hired accountant did not tell Hunter about the 2016-2017 tax returns, instead reporting that he owed $2 million in taxes.
By December 2020, a month after Joe Biden was elected President of the United States, the media began reporting on the investigation by prosecutor David C. Weiss. By mid-2021, the risk of Mr. Hunter being charged with tax evasion became clear. The son of the US President borrowed money from friends to settle his tax debt. When the troubles seemed to be over, criticism turned to the time when Mr. Hunter was addicted to drugs and illegally used guns.
