Washington.
US President Joe Biden has officially pardoned his son. His son Hunter Biden was convicted of tax evasion and illegal gun possession. “Today, I signed clemency for my son Hunter,” Joe Biden said in a statement.
The US President said, “From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere in Justice Department decision-making, and I kept my word even when I saw that my son was being unfairly prosecuted Is.” He also said in the statement that Hunter was treated differently. Earlier in June, he had said that he would neither forgive his son nor reduce his sentence. Hunter Biden was scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 12 for pleading guilty in a federal gun case. Four days later, he was to be sentenced in the tax case. The president’s son was convicted in June of illegally possessing a gun and lying about his drug use when purchasing it, according to media reports. Prosecutors said he lied on a gun application that he was not using drugs. Hunter’s lawyers argued that he did not consider himself a drug addict and was sober at the time. Hunter had the gun (a .38-caliber Colt Cobra Special) – for about 11 days. According to his lawyers, he never fired a shot during that time. The maximum sentence in this case is 25 years, although Hunter could have been sentenced to up to 16 months. In September, Hunter pleaded guilty to nine federal tax charges for falsifying records and failing to file returns. In these, he could have been jailed for up to 17 years. The pardon means Hunter Biden will no longer be punished for his crimes.