In a surprise-move this week President Joe Biden issued an unconditional pardon to his son Hunter Biden‚ despite saying he wouldnt do so just 6 months ago
The White-House defended this decision saying Hunter Biden faced un-fair targeting from political rivals. Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre explained: “His opponents dont seem ready to let go; they would keep going after his son“
Previous presidents have done similar things with family-members (like Bill Clinton pardoned his half-brother and Trump did it for his daughters father-in-law) but this case got extra attention because of its timing - just weeks before Bidenʼs term ends
The legal cases against Hunter included:
- Tax-related charges in Los Angeles
- False statements on gun background check
- Business dealings investigations
The move shocked many DC insiders because back in summer Biden told ABC news heʼd never pardon his son; now hes saying the justice system was “infected“ with politics - but Jean-Pierre insists the president still believes in the DOJ
Colorado gov Jared Polis and other democrats think this hurts public trust; meanwhile Black Lives Matter posted on social media that Biden should show same kindness to non-violent offenders as he did to his son
The cases were moving forward with Hunter having entered a guilty plea for tax charges in fall; he was supposed to get sentenced mid-december (under a Trump-nominated judge) but his lawyer has now filed to dismiss everything