On December 1, 2024, Hunter Biden received a full and unconditional pardon from his father, President Joe Biden. The pardon by Biden Sr. used the full power of his office to waive aside years of legal troubles for his son, including a federal conviction for the illegal purchase of a gun, and tax evasion.
Lucien Bruggeman of ABC News, who pieced together a timeline detailing all of the younger Biden’s legal troubles, reported that at his pretrial on June 20, 2023, which focused on the serious charges against him including tax evasion and the illegal purchase of a 38-caliber Colt Cobra Special in 2018, the younger Biden agreed to plead guilty to two tax-related misdemeanors and partake in a pretrial diversion agreement, which is an alternative to prosecution. The agreement enabled him to avoid prosecution on the felony gun charge.
Hunter Biden’s trial on the two tax-related charges began in Los Angeles in July of 2024. According to Ryan Lucas of NPR News: U.S. and World News Headlines, his failure to pay $1.4 million in taxes between 2016 and 2019 was revealed throughout the federal trial in Los Angeles. Based on the diversion agreement from the pre-trial, the younger Biden was to admit not paying taxes on income he accumulated in 2017 and 2018. Biden pleaded guilty over the summer to federal charges of failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes from 2016 to 2020. In a separate case, he was convicted of making false statements on a federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives form when he purchased a handgun in 2018. Biden was scheduled to be sentenced on December 12, 2024, in the federal gun case in Delaware and on December 16 in the tax evasion case in California. To say the least, Hunter Biden was facing continued legal issues and potential prison time.
Then his father stepped in.
Under the “Commander-in-Chief clause,” Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. The Constitution states that the president “shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.” A presidential pardon is an executive order granting leniency for any federal conviction. It may be granted “at any time” after the commission of a federal crime. The pardon that President Biden gave to his son was full and unconditional.
Many responded to Biden’s pardon of his son with surprise and concern. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Donald Trump called the pardon “an abuse and miscarriage of Justice.” Bill Barrow of PBS News reported that Colorado Governor Jared Pollis, a Democrat, stated, “Hunter brought the legal trouble he faced on himself, and one can sympathize with his struggles while also acknowledging that no one is above the law, not a President and not a President’s son.”
Considering these reactions from politicians it is clear that it is not a separation based on political party. From my reading, a majority of those involved in government seem to believe that President Biden was selfish in his pardon and they believe he acted on pure emotion. To be honest, I can see how they came to that conclusion. As a president, it is Biden’s responsibility to be the Commander-in-Chief of our country, which means he is in charge of the military and is meant to enforce the laws that the Legislative Branch establishes. That being said, Hunter broke laws, and he – as a U.S. citizen – should be held responsible for breaking those laws and bearing any punishment that comes with it.