Why Joe Biden signed a pardon for his son Hunter

“I hope Americans understand why a father and a president made this decision.” With these words the outgoing American president, Joe Biden, explained, in a long statement released on Sunday night, the choice to grant a pardon to his son. «Today I signed the pardon for my son Hunter» Biden wrote. He had repeatedly said that he would not do it for his son, convicted last June of having purchased a weapon in 2018 by lying about drug use. Hunter Biden he also pleaded guilty in a tax evasion trial. Verdicts in both cases were expected this month and he faced up to 25 years in prison in the first and up to 17 in the second.

What is obviously striking is the fact that Biden pardoned his son, the accusation of nepotism is around the corner, but also that of abuse of power, even on the democratic side, and that he did so after publicly denying that he had this intention , Americans never like lying. However, the choice to grant the pardon should not be surprising. American presidents tend to do this at the end of their terms. Donald Trump also did it and now attacks Biden from his social network Truth: «Does the pardon granted by Joe to Hunter include the hostages of January 6, who have been in prison for years now? What an abuse and failure of justice.”

A few hours before the end of his mandate, in January 2021, Trump had pardoned 73 people and commuted 70 sentences. In many cases these were people linked to him and his administration including his former advisor Steve Bannonfar-right activist.

Hunter Biden’s case is not only a family issue, but also a political one. The Democratic president tells it in these terms. “From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the decisions of the Justice Department, and I have kept my word, even as I have seen my son prosecuted selectively and unfairly. Without aggravating circumstances such as use in a crime, multiple purchases, or purchasing a gun as a nominee, people are almost never prosecuted for a crime solely because of the way they filled out a gun purchase document . People who fall behind on paying taxes because of serious addiction problems but who ultimately pay them with interest and fines typically get a non-criminal plea deal. It is clear that Hunter was treated differently.”

“The charges in this case came only after several of my political rivals in Congress incited them to attack me and to oppose my election. Then, a carefully negotiated plea deal that the Justice Department had accepted was unraveled in a courtroom, with a number of my political rivals in Congress taking credit for applying political pressure.” And again: «No reasonable person looking at the facts can come to any conclusion other than that Hunter was targeted solely because he is my son. And this is wrong. There was an attempt to break Hunter, who has not used drugs for five and a half years despite incessant attacks and selective prosecutions against him. In trying to break Hunter, they tried to break me, and there’s no reason to believe they’ll stop there.”

Forgiveness is broader. It is not only these crimes that have been pardoned, but also those that “may have committed or in which he may have participated” in the period between 1 January 2014 and 1 December 2024. For those who support Biden it is a way to avoid political trials of persecution against their son, for Trumpists it is a form of admission of guilt for their son. So Hunter Biden intervened: «I admitted my responsibility for the mistakes I made in the darkest days of addiction, mistakes that were publicly used to humiliate me and my family for political reasons». He also said he would dedicate himself “to helping those who are still sick and suffering.”