Shortly before leaving office, US President Joe Biden pardoned his own son Hunter Biden. A reversal by the Democrat: After withdrawing from the presidential election campaign, he publicly pledged not to interfere in the decisions of the Justice Department.
Hunter Biden is charged with tax evasion and illegal possession of a firearm. For the 54-year-old, the pardon means that he will not be convicted for his crimes and thus eliminates the possibility of a prison sentence.
The verdict should have been announced soon
The verdict in the trial of the president’s son was scheduled for December 12, during which the sentence would be determined. It is expected that the responsible judges will now cancel this appointment.
Joe Biden’s statement on the pardon:
The broad pardon grants clemency for the tax and gun crimes Hunter Biden is accused of, as well as any federal crimes Hunter Biden may have committed “from January 1, 2014 to December 1, 2024.” This period includes his entire term on the board of the Ukrainian gas company Burisma and much of his other work abroad, including in China. Due to these activities, the 54-year-old came under scrutiny.
Biden: ‘Hunter was treated differently’
The American president justified the pardon because his son had been ‘selectively and unfairly prosecuted’. “Hunter was treated differently” from people who had committed similar crimes, the head of state said. He was “selected for prosecution only because he is my son.”
“I believe in the justice system, but as I have struggled with this issue, I also believe this process was influenced by pure politics and resulted in a miscarriage of justice,” Biden said in his statement. He hopes for understanding “why a father and president came to this decision.”
Trump feels “abuse and miscarriage of justice”
Newly-elected US President Donald Trump condemned the pardon on social media as ‘abuse and miscarriage of justice’. The new head of state is also planning such measures: he told his supporters arrested during the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, to pardon them once he returns to power.
Source: Krone
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