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President Joe Biden had long said he wouldn’t pardon his son Hunter Biden, who faced sentencing this month on gun and tax violations. But on Sunday, the president modified his tune and granted his son a full pardon.
The pardon not only covers Hunter Biden's convictions in two federal cases – one in Delaware and one in California – but in addition covers any potential “offenses against the United States” he committed between January 1, 2014 and January 1, 2014 or by which he was involved December 1, 2024.
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Some Democrats are frustrated that Joe Biden is changing course and pardoning his son Hunter
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Biden pardoned his son Hunter. What does that mean?
Under the U.S. Constitution, the president has the authority to grant clemency, including pardons and commutations. A pardon completely forgives federal crimes, while a commutation reduces the severity of a sentence but doesn’t absolve the crime. However, this authority is proscribed to federal crimes. A president cannot issue pardons for state crimes or for impeachment convictions.
Hunter Biden's legal troubles began with a conviction in June for making a false statement on a federal form when purchasing a firearm in 2018, claiming he was not a drug user on the time. He later pleaded guilty to evading over $1.4 million in taxes. Both cases occurred as he struggled with drug and alcohol addiction before getting sober in 2019.
Hunter was scheduled to be sentenced this month in California and Delaware by judges appointed by President Trump. The tax charge carried a maximum sentence of 17 years, while the firearms charge could have resulted in a jail sentence of as much as 25 years. However, federal sentencing guidelines suggest that any prison sentence would likely be much shorter, and Biden can have been in a position to avoid prison time altogether.
Hunter Biden has been under investigation by the federal government since 2020. He initially reached a take care of prosecutors and pleaded guilty to tax crimes to avoid prosecution for weapons offenses if he stayed clean for 2 years. However, this deal collapsed in the course of the hearing. Hunter Biden was subsequently charged in each cases and he argued that he was targeted due to his family connections.
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Do you agree with Biden's decision to pardon his son?
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