Biden's unexpected move: Presidential pardon changes son's legal future
President makes surprise decision to pardon his son **Hunter** for gun and tax-related crimes. The pardon covers potential federal violations spanning a ten-year period and cancels upcoming sentencing dates
In a non-standard move on dec-2‚ Joe Biden reversed his earlier stance and gave his son Hunter Biden a presidential pardon. The action affects both current convictions and any un-known federal crimes from jan-2014 through year-end
A jury found Hunter guilty of providing false info about his drug-use on a gun-purchase form (which resulted in hours of non-pleasant testimony about crack addiction). He also entered a guilty-plea for not paying $1.4M in taxes while spending money on high-end items and personal services
The original legal timeline had two mid-december dates set for sentencing: both are now cancelled. While facing a long prison term the real-world guidelines pointed to about 1.5 years – and one jury member told media they didnt think jail was needed
Last summerʼs plea-deal fell apart when a judge questioned its scope; this led to Hunterʼs trial. The new pardon might affect his ability to avoid testimony in future probes: he cant use self-incrimination protection for pardoned crimes
Presidential pardons have a long history in US politics – here are some notable examples:
- Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon
- Bill Clinton pardoned his brother-in-law
- Donald Trump pardoned his son-in-laws father
- George Washington started the tradition of giving pardons
