President Joe Biden announced Sunday night that he had signed a pardon for his son Hunter Biden from all criminal charges brought against him over the past decade. in statement According to a White House statement, the president has committed all crimes that Hunter Biden “committed or may have committed or participated in between January 1, 2014 and December 1, 2024.” granted a “complete and unconditional pardon”.
According to NBC NewsHunter Biden is scheduled to be sentenced on December 12th for his conviction on federal firearms charges, and on December 16th for a separate criminal case in which he pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion charges in September. Ta.
Biden said he has kept a promise since taking office not to interfere in the Justice Department's decision-making, but that he has seen Hunter “selectively and unfairly prosecuted.”
“Absent aggravating factors such as use in a crime, multiple purchases, or purchasing a weapon as a straw purchaser, people are rarely tried for felonies solely because of the way they filled out a gun application.” added the president. “Non-criminal settlements are typically available for people who have fallen behind on paying their taxes due to severe addiction but have repaid the tax in full with interest and penalties. It's clear that Hunter was treated differently. ”
Biden claimed that political opponents tried to “tear down” Biden by naming Hunter because he was his son.
“No rational person considering the facts of Hunter's case could come to any other conclusion than that Hunter was chosen solely because he is my son, and that is wrong,” he argued. .
“In the face of relentless attacks and selective prosecution, there was an effort to break Hunter, who has been sober for five and a half years. In an effort to break Hunter, they tried to break me. But there's no reason to do that.'' Trust me, it will stop here. ”
“Throughout my career, I have followed a simple principle: Just tell the American people the truth. They are fair-minded. This is the truth. I believe in the justice system, but this I too am concerned about the raw politics infecting this process. , I believe that led to a miscarriage of justice. And now that I made this decision this weekend, there was no point in delaying it further. We hope that the decision will be made,” the statement concluded.
Biden's pardon of Hunter comes after the president said earlier this summer that he would not pardon his son.
In June, after a jury found Hunter Biden guilty of three federal firearms charges, he said, “I will not forgive him.”
However, two sources said the president and some of his aides discussed pardoning Hunter in June. Even though he said he would not forgive his son, the idea of pardoning him was still on the table.
Republicans have long argued that Mr. Hunter was involved in foreign business transactions on behalf of his father, accusing him and his father of corruption. The party also claimed that the Justice Department gave Hunter special treatment because of his father's political positions.
Following his pardon, Hunter issued a statement acknowledging “the mistakes I made during the darkest moments of my addiction, mistakes that were exploited in the political sport to publicly humiliate and humiliate me and my family.” He said he had suffered a loss.
“Despite these circumstances, I have been able to maintain sobriety for over five years thanks to my deep faith and the unwavering love and support of my family and friends,” he added. “In the throes of addiction, I have squandered many opportunities and blessings. During recovery, I must not take the mercy I have been given for granted, to make amends and rebuild my life as best I can.” I am presented with an opportunity and I will never accept it.''The pardon granted to me today is well-deserved and I intend to dedicate my rebuilt life to helping those who are still suffering from this disease. ”
President Biden pardons son Hunter Biden. https://t.co/IAnoAjmlJ5
— Jim LaPorta (@JimLaPorta) December 2, 2024
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