Biden pardons his son Hunter in the final weeks of the US presidency

US President Joe Biden on Sunday granted an official pardon to his son Hunter, who was facing sentencing in two criminal cases, despite assurances that he would not intervene in his legal problems.

“No reasonable person looking at the facts of Hunter’s cases can come to any conclusion other than that Hunter was singled out just because he is my son… and that is wrong,” the president said in a statement.

The move is sure to bring new scrutiny to the independence of the U.S. judicial system, especially at a time when incoming President Donald Trump has moved to appoint people loyal to the FBI and the Justice Department itself.

The younger Biden was convicted earlier this year of lying about his drug use when he bought a gun (a felony) and also pleaded guilty in a separate trial to tax evasion, but had not faced sentencing.

Joe Biden, who is in the final weeks of his presidency before Trump takes office on Jan. 20, had repeatedly said he would not forgive his son.

“I said I would not interfere with the Department of Justice’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I watched my son be selectively and unfairly prosecuted,” President Biden said in Sunday’s statement.

“The charges in their cases arose only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election,” he added.

“I believe in the justice system, but while I have struggled with this, I also believe that crude politics has infected this process and led to a miscarriage of justice.”

The pardon comes as criminal cases against President-elect Trump have stalled after a sweeping Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity, virtually guaranteeing that Biden’s Republican rival will likely never see a jail cell, even after his historic conviction for falsifying business records in Podemos.

Plea deal gone wrong
US presidents have previously used pardons to help family members and other political allies.

Bill Clinton pardoned his half-brother on old cocaine charges and Trump pardoned his son-in-law’s father for tax evasion, although in both cases those men had already served their prison sentences.

Trump has vowed to pardon his supporters who stormed the US Capitol in a deadly riot on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss.

He referred to them in a social media post Sunday night, writing, “Does Joe’s pardon for Hunter include the J-6 hostages, who have already been imprisoned for years? What an abuse and miscarriage of justice!” .

Hunter Biden pleaded guilty in a tax evasion trial in September and faced up to 17 years in prison. For the separate weapons possession charge, he faced 25 years in prison.

His lawyers have said he will only appear in court because he is the president’s son.

Hunter paid back taxes, as well as penalties imposed by authorities, and previously reached a plea deal that would have kept him out of jail, but that deal fell apart at the last minute.

His case has long been a thorn in the side of the Biden family, particularly during this election year, when Republicans have accused Hunter of being treated too leniently.

President Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris took much of the zeal out of the Republican push to make an example of his son.

Still, prosecutors appeared unwilling to give him any respite, rejecting the so-called “Alford plea,” by which Hunter Biden would admit his guilt due to the high likelihood of conviction but maintain his innocence.

In a statement to US media, Hunter Biden, who has battled drug addiction, said he would “dedicate the life I have rebuilt to helping those who are still sick and suffering.”

-AFP/TIMES