Joe Biden Pardons Hunter Biden in a Controversial Decision

Biden explained that although he kept his word in not interfering with the Justice Department's decision-making since first taking office, he says that he has watched Hunter "being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted."

"Without aggravating factors like use in a crime, multiple purchases, or buying a weapon as a straw purchaser, people are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form," the president added. "Those who were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions but paid them back subsequjoe ently with interest and penalties are typically given non-criminal resolutions. It is clear that Hunter was treated differently."

Biden contended that his political opponents attempted to "break" him by singling out Hunter because he is his son. 

"No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter's cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son — and that is wrong," he argued.

"There has been an effort to break Hunter – who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to break Hunter, they've tried to break me – and there's no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough."

"For my entire career, I have followed a simple principle: just tell the American people the truth. They'll be fair-minded. Here's the truth: 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," the statement concluded. 

Biden's pardon of Hunter comes after the president said he wouldn't pardon his son earlier this summer. 

"I will not pardon him," he said in June after a jury found Hunter Biden guilty on three federal gun charges.

Two sources, however, shared that the president and some of his closest aides discussed pardoning Hunter in June. Despite saying he wouldn't pardon his son, the idea of doing so continued to remain on the table. 

Republicans have argued over the years that Hunter was involved in foreign business dealings on behalf of his father and accused both of them of corruption. The party also claimed that the Justice Department gave Hunter special treatment because of his father's political position. 

Following the pardon, Hunter released a statement saying he had "admitted and taken responsibility for my mistakes during the darkest days of my addiction — mistakes that have been exploited to publicly humiliate and shame me and my family for political sport."

"Despite all of this, I have maintained my sobriety for more than five years because of my deep faith and the unwavering love and support of my family and friends," he added. "In the throes of addiction, I squandered many opportunities and advantages. 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."

President Biden pardons his son, Hunter Biden. https://t.co/IAnoAjmlJ5

— Jim LaPorta (@JimLaPorta) December 2, 2024

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Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.