Hunter pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a weapon.
US President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter on Monday night. “Today I signed a presidential pardon for my son Hunter. Since taking office, I have declared that I will not interfere in the decisions of the Ministry of Justice, and I kept my word even when I witnessed its selective and unfair prosecution. I hope the American people will understand why I made this decision as a father and president,” said Biden in a statement issued by the White House. TASR informs based on AP and Reuters reports.
The president’s son, Hunter Biden, was found guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm in June. According to the indictment, he lied about not using drugs when he bought a gun in 2018.
In September, he pleaded guilty to failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes from 2016 to 2019. According to prosecutors, he instead spent the money on his luxurious life, escort services and drugs. By confessing, he avoided a public trial that would likely have involved unflattering details of his personal life and would have been embarrassing not only for himself but also for his family.
The US president pardoned his son, despite his office saying on November 8 that he would not do so, writes AP. He thus put an end to his son’s long legal disputes, which stretched practically throughout his term of office. Hunter Biden publicly pleaded guilty to an investigation by federal authorities in December 2020 — just a month after his father won the presidential election.
