President Joe Biden pardoned his son after previously saying that he would not do so.
President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, said he will not take the pardon issued by his father for granted.
“In the throes of addiction, I squandered many opportunities and advantages. In recovery we can be given the opportunity to make amends where possible and rebuild our lives if we never take for granted the mercy that we have been afforded,” Hunter Biden, 54, told news outlets in a Dec. 1 statement.
“I will never take the clemency I have been given today for granted and will devote the life I have rebuilt to helping those who are still sick and suffering.”
President Joe Biden, 82, announced earlier on Dec. 1 that he was pardoning his son, who was convicted by a jury of illegally buying a gun in 2018 while addicted to drugs.
Jurors also found Hunter Biden guilty of lying about his drug use and illegal possession of the gun. In a separate case, he also pleaded guilty to tax evasion.
“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,” the president said.
Joe Biden added later that he believes in the justice system but also thinks that “raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice.”
“I hope,” he wrote, “Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.”
The president had previously said that he would not pardon his son.
The pardon means that Hunter Biden will not receive any prison time or other punishment for his crimes.
Hunter Biden wrote in court filings that he “received and formally accepted” his father’s pardon.
The pardon means that the cases must be dismissed and not brought again in the future, lawyers for the president’s son informed the judges handling the cases.
