Biden pardons his son Hunter despite previous promises not to do so

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has pardoned his son Hunter, sparing the younger Biden a possible prison sentence on federal gun and tax convictions and reversing his earlier promises not to use the president’s extraordinary powers to benefit his family members.

The Democratic president had previously said he would neither pardon nor commute his son’s sentence following his convictions in the two cases in Delaware and California.

The move comes weeks before Hunter Biden was set to receive his sentence following his conviction in the gun case and his guilty plea on tax charges, and less than two months before President-elect Donald Trump is set to return to the White House.

It caps a long-running legal saga surrounding the president’s son, who publicly announced in December 2020 – a month after Joe Biden’s victory in 2020 – that he was under federal investigation.

In June, as his son Hunter stood trial in the Delaware gun case, Biden ruled out a pardon or clemency for his son in an interview with ABC News.

As recently as November 8, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre ruled out a pardon or clemency for the younger Biden, saying, “We’ve been asked this question several times. Our answer is no.”