Hunter Biden responded to his father, President Joe Biden, giving him a “full and unconditional pardon” by vowing to never take it for granted.
In a statement, Hunter said that he has “admitted and taken responsibility” for the mistakes that he’s being pardoned for and that were being “exploited to publicly humiliate and shame” him and his family for “political sport.”
“In the throes of addiction, I squandered many opportunities and advantages,” he continued. “In recovery we can be given the opportunity to make amends where possible and rebuild our lives if we never take for granted the mercy that we have been afforded.”
“I will never take the clemency I have been given today for granted and will devote the life I have rebuilt to helping those who are still sick and suffering,” Biden added.
President Biden issued a “full and unconditional pardon,” to Hunter on Sunday covering offenses he committed “from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024.”
Hunter Biden was convicted by a jury in June of illegally buying and possessing a gun. He then pleaded guilty in September to nine tax offenses, stemming from failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes. He settled the outstanding tax bill once he got sober.
Hunter Biden was scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 12 for his conviction on federal gun charges. He also was set to be sentenced on Dec.16 in his tax evasion case.
Biden noted that it’s extremely rare for the DOJ to bring prosecutions solely for making misstatements on a gun form. He also said the tax charges singled out his son since the DOJ typically doesn’t criminally prosecute people “who were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions, but paid them back subsequently with interest and penalties”
“I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice — and once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further. I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision,” Biden said in his statement.
