By Nakiwala Barbra
US President Joe Biden has granted an unconditional pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, who was facing sentencing for two criminal cases.
The decision marks a dramatic reversal, as the president had previously stated multiple times that he would not offer clemency to his son.
Hunter Biden had pleaded guilty to tax charges in September and was earlier convicted in June of being an illegal drug user in possession of a firearm, making him the first child of a sitting president to be convicted of a crime. In a statement, President Biden described the prosecution of his son as “selective” and “a miscarriage of justice,” adding that politics had unfairly influenced the legal process.
The pardon has drawn sharp criticism from Republicans and some Democrats alike. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer accused the president of misleading the public about the case, while Democratic Representative Greg Stanton publicly disagreed with the decision, stating on X: “I respect President Biden, but I think he got this one wrong.”
Reacting to the pardon, President-elect Donald Trump expressed outrage, comparing it to what he called the “unjust” treatment of his supporters imprisoned for the January 6 Capitol attack. Trump’s criticism highlighted ongoing partisan tensions over the rule of law and presidential authority.
In his statement, Hunter Biden expressed gratitude for the pardon, acknowledging the mistakes he made during his struggles with addiction. “I will never take the clemency I have been given today for granted,” he said, pledging to dedicate his life to helping others battling addiction. The president noted that his son has been sober for five-and-a-half years.
The pardon follows a history of U.S. presidents using this power for family members, including Bill Clinton’s 2001 pardon of his half-brother for a drug offense and Donald Trump’s 2020 pardon of Charles Kushner, his daughter Ivanka’s father-in-law.
However, Biden’s decision, coming after repeated denials, has ignited heated debate about ethics and justice at the highest levels of government.
