Since Hunter Biden's condemnation connected national felony weapon and taxation charges implicit the summer, the White House has insisted that President Joe Biden had nary volition of pardoning his son.
But connected Sunday, the president issued a arguable sweeping pardon, saying his lad had been taxable to attacks from his governmental rivals.
Republicans person been speedy to denounce the determination - citing Biden's erstwhile pledges not to intervene connected Hunter’s behalf. The determination has besides formed a renewed spotlight connected the relation of statesmanlike pardons and the independency of the US justness system.
President-elect Donald Trump called the involution an “abuse”, portion House Oversight Committee seat James Comer accused President Biden of seeking to “avoid accountability”.
Did Biden regularisation retired a pardon?
Hunter Biden pleaded blameworthy successful 2 abstracted trials implicit the summertime - 1 connected national taxation charges and 1 of lying astir his cause usage connected a signifier erstwhile buying a handgun.
In the aftermath of his conviction, the White House instantly made it wide that helium could not expect a statesmanlike pardon from his father.
In an interrogation with ABC successful June, erstwhile asked whether helium had “ruled retired a pardon” for his son, Biden replied: “Yes.”
Biden besides told reporters astatine a G7 acme successful June: "I said I'd abide by the assemblage decision, and I volition bash that. And I volition not pardon him.”
As precocious arsenic 7 November - conscionable 2 days aft Donald Trump clinched his instrumentality to the White House - Biden medication officials were inactive insisting that the president had nary volition of pardoning his son.
When asked successful a quality league if President Biden would beryllium tempted to assistance Hunter, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said: “We’ve been asked that question aggregate times, our reply stands, which is no.”
Biden besides emphasised successful June that helium was “satisfied” that his lad had received a just proceedings - successful opposition to his comments connected Sunday wherever helium said Hunter had been the taxable of “a miscarriage of justice”.
Is determination precedent for Biden’s move?
Presidential pardons are not uncommon and determination person been examples of erstwhile presidents pardoning household members.
In January 2001 - conscionable earlier helium near bureau - Bill Clinton pardoned his half-brother for cause organisation convictions dating backmost to 1985.
And Donald Trump pardoned Charles Kushner - the begetter of his son-in-law Jared Kushner - successful December 2020 for making mendacious statements during an investigation, witnesser tampering and taxation evasion.
Over the play the president-elect appointed Charles Kushner arsenic his nominee to beryllium US ambassador to France, a determination which has raised immoderate eyebrows successful Paris.
But Hunter Biden's pardon differs from the erstwhile examples successful respective ways - astir notably that a president has ne'er pardoned his ain lad before.
The magnitude of the pardon President Biden has granted has besides faced immoderate scrutiny. Hunter Biden’s pardon covers immoderate crimes committed by his lad implicit an astir 11-year play from 1 January 2014 to 1 December 2024.
Jeffrey Crouch, an adjunct prof of authorities astatine American University, told the BBC that it "is highly antithetic to person a statesmanlike pardon that covers specified a wide clip span".
Another distinguishing origin is that Hunter Biden has yet to beryllium sentenced and is owed to look successful tribunal aboriginal this month. According to the US justness section it is “highly unusual” for a president to pardon idiosyncratic earlier they are sentenced for a national offence.
Jeffrey Crouch told the BBC that officials usually urge a five-year waiting play earlier applying a pardon.
The determination is not unheard of, however. For example, successful 2017 Donald Trump pardoned ex-Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio - convicted of transgression contempt - earlier helium was sentenced.
What has Biden said astir Trump’s past pardons
Biden has been outspoken successful attacking immoderate of the pardons his predecessor issued during his archetypal word successful office.
In 2019, Biden attacked Trump for pardoning 2 US service officers - 1 of whom had been convicted and 1 who was acceptable to basal proceedings - for warfare crimes successful Afghanistan.
Biden said the then-president had betrayed “the regularisation of law, the values that marque our state exceptional and the men and women who deterioration the azygous honourably”.
Later, successful 2020, erstwhile Trump commuted the condemnation of his informal advisor Roger Stone, Biden called his rival “the astir corrupt president successful modern American history”.
More broadly, during his 2020 campaign, Biden accused Trump of undermining the bureau of the lawyer wide and politicising the office.
"The lawyer wide is not the president's lawyer. It’s the people's lawyer,” Biden said. “We ne'er saw thing similar the prostitution of that bureau similar we spot it today.”