Biden pardons son Hunter, convicted of gun offenses
'It's clear that Hunter was treated differently,' Biden says, in the hopes that 'Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision'
Just over a month before the handover of power, US President Joe Biden announced on Sunday that he would extend a presidential pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, who was convicted in September of gun offenses.
In a statement, Biden said his son was "selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted." Citing people who never were brought to trial for more serious offenses, "people are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form... It's clear that Hunter was treated differently."
Despite earlier saying that he would not interfere in his son's legal issues, he blamed the stiff punishment against his son on political opponents in Congress.
"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."