Joe Biden is coming to the last month of his term as president and has made one more controversial move before leaving office. He has granted a full criminal pardon to his son Hunter, who was previously facing convictions of several crimes. This move comes after years of Joe Biden saying he would not interfere with the justice system in regards to his son. This decision has come with a lot of backlash; however, Biden is nowhere near the first president to use his power in this way.
The US Constitution says that a president has the power to grant pardons for federal-level offences in the United States, except in impeachment. The pardon that Biden has granted his son clears him of any offence he has or may have committed.
“This move comes after years of Joe Biden saying he would not interfere with the justice system in regards to his son.”
Hunter Biden was awaiting sentencing for two federal cases. Earlier this year, he was found guilty of lying about his drug use on a gun form. He also pleaded guilty to a federal tax case, focusing on whether he paid enough tax between 2016 and 2019. For both crimes, he was looking at a maximum sentence of 42 years.
In the statement issued alongside the pardon, Biden says that he only interfered because “Hunter was treated differently,” stating that most people are almost never brought to trial for how they filled out a gun form and also that late taxpayers are normally given non-criminal resolutions. He makes it clear in his statement that he believes Hunter Biden’s treatment was a direct result of his role as president.
“As it is his last month in office, there are not likely to be any consequences for this decision, and it has been made clear that this will not be reversible by any future president.”
There has been some backlash by both Republicans and Democrats because of this. Donald Trump has called it an “abuse and miscarriage of justice.” However, Biden is not the first president to pardon those close to him. In 2020, Donald Trump pardoned his daughter’s father-in-law for several charges. In 2001, Bill Clinton pardoned his half-brother for a drug offence. In addition to this, Biden has pardoned fewer people than any other US president in recent history.
As it is his last month in office, there are not likely to be any consequences for this decision, and it has been made clear that this will not be reversible by any future president. However, this is important to keep in mind as Trump comes into power in the next few months. He himself facing legal issues against him. He has also promised that he will grant pardons to his supporters who rioted on January 6 2021. However, the extent of these pardons is still unknown. It is likely we’ll be hearing about a lot more presidential pardons in the coming months.
