President Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, despite prior assurances to the contrary.
President-elect Donald Trump and congressional Republicans sharply criticized President Joe Biden’s pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, who faced convictions for illegal gun purchase and tax evasion, with sentencing scheduled for this month. Despite previous public statements that he would not interfere, President Biden issued the pardon on Sunday, describing the convictions as a “miscarriage of justice” and claiming Hunter Biden was unfairly targeted due to his familial connection.
The White House statement indicated the pardon covers offenses potentially committed between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024. This timeframe encompasses Republican allegations that Hunter Biden acted as a “bagman” for his father in questionable business dealings in China and Ukraine—allegations both Bidens deny.
Republicans, who have long accused the Biden administration of partisan prosecutions, condemned the action. Trump’s spokesperson, Steven Cheung, stated, “The failed witch hunts against President Trump have proven that the Democrat-controlled DOJ and other radical prosecutors are guilty of weaponizing the justice system. That system of justice must be fixed and due process must be restored for all Americans, which is exactly what President Trump will do as he returns to the White House with an overwhelming mandate from the American people.”
Trump drew a comparison between Hunter Biden’s pardon and the prosecution of his own supporters involved in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, questioning on Truth Social whether the pardon extended to those imprisoned. He characterized the situation as an “abuse and miscarriage of justice.”
Many prominent congressional Republicans expressed outrage. Senator Chuck Grassley declared himself “shocked,” while Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene asserted on X that the pardon was Biden’s admission of Hunter’s guilt. Representative Andy Biggs declared Biden “one of the most corrupt presidents in American history,” and Senator Josh Hawley described the pardon as an “outrageous abuse of the rule of law” intended to protect the Biden family’s business practices. The Republican-controlled House Committee on Oversight and Accountability issued a statement condemning Biden’s actions as an “unprecedented abuse of power.”