Biden pardoned son Hunter Biden before leaving Oval Office

President Biden He pardoned his son Hunter Biden after his first son was convicted in two separate federal cases earlier this year.

The announcement was made by the White House on Sunday night. The pardon applies to crimes Hunter Biden “committed or may have committed” against the United States between January 1, 2014 and December 1, 2024.

“Today I signed a pardon for my son Hunter,” Biden wrote in a statement. “From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the decision-making process of the Department of Justice, and I kept my promise even as I watched my son being prosecuted selectively and unfairly.”

The president claimed his son was “treated differently” by prosecutors.

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“People are almost never charged with felonies simply for filling out a gun form, unless there are aggravating factors such as use in a crime, purchasing more than one gun, or purchasing a gun as a straw buyer,” Biden said. he added. “Those who fall behind on their taxes due to serious addictions, but then pay them back with interest and penalties, are often given non-punitive judgments. It is clear that Hunter was treated differently.”

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Biden also addressed his son’s struggle with addiction and blamed “crude politics” for unraveling Hunter’s plea deal.

“Despite relentless attacks and selective investigations, efforts are being made to break Hunter, who has been sober for five and a half years,” the 82-year-old father wrote. “They tried to break me while trying to break Hunter, and we have no reason to believe it will stop there. Enough is enough.”

“I hope Americans understand why a father and a President came to this decision,” Biden’s statement said.

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A court document obtained by Fox News showed Hunter signed a legal acceptance of the pardon.

“I have officially accepted the President’s pardon authorization on December 1, 2024,” the document said. “I declare (or certify, confirm or state) under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States, that the foregoing is true and correct.”

In a statement Sunday night, Hunter said he “will never accept the mercy” his father showed him and that he plans to dedicate his life to helping those with addiction.

“During the darkest days of my addiction, I confessed and took responsibility for my mistakes, which were used to publicly humiliate and embarrass me and my family for political sport,” the first son wrote.

“I squandered many opportunities and advantages in the throes of addiction. If we never take for granted the mercy shown to us, in recovery we may be given the opportunity to make amends where possible and rebuild our lives.”

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Hunter Biden, 54, has had a busy year in court, beginning his first trial in Delaware in June. He faces three firearms felonies and pleaded guilty in a separate felony tax case in September.

President Biden pardons His son declared that he would not forgive his first son, a departure from his previous statements to the media over the summer.

“Yes,” President Biden told ABC News when asked if he would decline to pardon Hunter ahead of the guilty verdict in the gun case.

Days later, when a jury of Hunter’s peers found him guilty of three felony firearm charges, the president again said he would not pardon his son.

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“I won’t do anything,” Biden said after Hunter’s conviction. “I will comply jury verdict“

In the gun case, Hunter was convicted of making a false statement when purchasing a gun, making a false statement regarding information required to be kept by a federally licensed gun dealer, and possession of a gun by a person. illegal user or addict a controlled substance.

Prosecutors specifically worked to prove that Biden lied on a federal firearms form known as ATF Form 4473 in October 2018. Biden was checking a box labeled “No” when asked if he was an illicit substance user or controlled substance abuser.

Hunter has well-documented knowledge. history of drug useDocumented in his 2021 memoir “Beautiful Things,” which tells readers about his need to smoke crack cocaine every 20 minutes, he describes how his addiction became so prolific that he referred to himself as a “crack daddy” to the drug. anecdotes revolving around dealers and drug deals, such as Biden, a crack dealer in Washington D.C. nicknamed “Bicycles.”

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Hunter’s attorneys did not dispute his first son’s long history of substance abuse, including alcohol abuse, during the hearing. The defense instead argued that Biden did not consider himself an active drug addict the day he purchased the Cobra Colt .38, citing the time his first son spent in rehab before the October 2018 purchase.

But prosecutors argued that Biden was addicted to crack cocaine before, during and after purchasing the gun. Just a day after the gun purchase, prosecutors told the court that Biden texted his sister-in-law, his girlfriend, Hallie Biden, saying he was “waiting for a salesman named Mookie.” A day after this message, he texted: “I was sleeping on a car with drug smoke.” “4th and Rodney in Wilmington”.

The jury deliberated for about three hours over two days before finding Hunter guilty on each charge.

Hunter was scheduled for sentencing on Nov. 13, which was postponed until December before his father intervened.

After President Biden withdrew from the presidential race in July over growing concerns about his mental acuity and age, Hunter faced another trial on three felony tax crimes and six misdemeanor tax crimes for failing to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes.

When jury selection is about to begin Los Angeles federal courtHunter made a surprise criminal complaint.

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“I will not subject my family to any further pain, further invasion of privacy, and unnecessary embarrassment,” Hunter said in an emailed statement at the time. “After everything I’ve put them through over the years, I can protect them from this, and that’s why I decided to plead guilty.”

The charges carry a sentence of up to 17 years in prison, but the first son would likely face a much shorter sentence under federal sentencing guidelines. His sentencing is scheduled for December 16.

Ahead of the president’s decision to pardon his son, President-elect Donald Trump said on the campaign trail: Consider forgiving Hunter If he wins on November 5th.

“I’m not going to take that off the record,” Trump told radio host Hugh Hewitt in October. “Look, unlike Joe Biden, despite what they did to me, despite coming after me so brutally… And Hunter is a bad boy.”

“There’s no doubt about it. He was a bad kid,” Trump continued. “But I think it’s very bad for our country.”

Fox News’ David Spunt contributed to this report.

Original article source: Biden pardoned son Hunter Biden before leaving Oval Office