A Presidential Pardon for the First Son, Hunter Biden

After publicly refusing to pardon his son, Hunter, President Joe Biden changed his mind and relieved him of all punishment surrounding his criminal wrongdoings. On Sunday, December 1, President Biden issued a “full and unconditional” pardon for Hunter Biden, which goes as far as ridding him of any consequences for any crimes committed between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024.

A Change of Heart

Hunter Biden was charged earlier this year with lying on federal documents and tax evasion. While buying a gun, Hunter allegedly lied about his drug use on the background check form. He also failed to pay about $1.4 million in taxes. The two charges carried potentially as much as 25 years and 17 years, respectively.

President Biden made a public statement earlier in the year that he would not pardon his son’s crimes. “I’m extremely proud of my son Hunter. He has overcome an addiction. He is one of the brightest, most decent men I know,” he said. “I abide by the jury decision. I will do that and I will not pardon him.”

Joe Biden was highly praised by the media and his supporters for allowing the justice system to work. Everything changed, however, when Biden dropped out of the presidential race and Donald Trump went on to win the election. With less than two months left in office, Biden then used his power to relieve his son of all the charges against him. The kicker is that the pardon encompasses any wrongdoings committed by Hunter over ten years between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024. As Liberty Nation News’ Graham Noble stated, he was basically given a “ten-year get-out-of-jail-free-for-any-crime card.”

What Is a Presidential Pardon?

The US Constitution allows the president to grant clemency to those who commit a federal offense if he chooses. The only limitations of this power are that it does nothing for state offenses and cases of impeachment. There are a few kinds of clemency. A pardon releases a person from punishment and forgives them of their guilt. Commutation reduces the severity of a punishment, such as ending a prison sentence early or converting a death sentence to prison time. Then there’s the remission of fines and forfeitures. This suspends, reduces, or removes fines or returns things that have been confiscated.

Joe Biden is not the first leader of the free world to issue a presidential pardon. In fact, the list is rather lengthy. Most US presidents have exercised this power. Topping the list is Franklin D. Roosevelt with 3,687 grants of clemency, though he was in office for 12 years, longer than any other president. Coming in second with 1,913 is Harry S. Truman, and third place is held by Dwight D. Eisenhower with 1,110. Some of the more notable pardons were issued by Bill Clinton when he pardoned his half-brother, Roger Clinton, in 2001, and Donald Trump’s pardon of Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law in 2020. Other presidents, like Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson, have issued pardons for those who committed crimes during war.

While it is clearly not an uncommon practice, granting clemency to those who commit federal crimes is an extreme use of power and a serious matter.

Takeaways:

1. President Joe Biden had previously – when he was still running for re-election – promised not to pardon his son, Hunter Biden.
2. It didn’t take long after Biden dropped out of the race and Donald Trump beat his replacement, Kamala Harris, for Biden to change his mind and pardon his son.
3. Presidential pardons are actually quite common, with some presidents having issued more than a thousand.