By John Ogunsemore
US President, Joe Biden has pardoned his son, Hunter of firearms and tax convictions just weeks to the end of his tenure.
In a White House statement released on Sunday, Biden explained his decision to pardon Hunter despite previously promising not to interfere in his son’s ordeal.
“I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted.
“The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election,” he said.
Biden maintained that his son was being targeted because of his family name and demanded an end to such alleged hostility.
“There has been an effort to break Hunter – who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution.
“In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me – and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough,” Biden said.
The 46th president said throughout his public life he has followed the principle of telling Americans the truth because he believed in their ability to be fair-minded.
“Here’s the truth: I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice – and once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further,” he said.
“I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision,” he added.
The announcement comes weeks before Hunter is due for sentencing for a string of felonies related to making a false statement about his drug use during a gun background check and failing to pay at least $1.4m in taxes.
See pardon below:
However, the president’s decision has attracted criticism, even within his party.
In a statement, Governor Jared Polis of Colorado, a Democrat, expressed disappointment, noting that the move would “tarnish” the outgoing president’s reputation.
Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump faced similar criticism when, as he exited the White House in 2021, he issued a slew of pardons for close associates and allies implicated in the numerous criminal investigations that engulfed his presidential term.