WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, on Sunday night, sparing the younger Biden a possible prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions and reversing his past promises not to use the extraordinary powers of the presidency for the benefit of his family.

The Democratic president had previously said he would not pardon his son or commute his sentence after convictions in the two cases in Delaware and California. The move comes weeks before Hunter Biden was set to receive his punishment after his trial conviction in the gun case and guilty plea on tax charges, and less than two months before President-elect Donald Trump is set to return to the White House.

Biden, who time and again pledged to Americans that he would restore norms and respect for the rule of law after Trump’s first term in office, ultimately used his position to help his son, breaking his public pledge to Americans that he would do no such thing.

  • unexposedhazard
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    43
    arrow-down
    7
    ·
    10 hours ago

    My take is that he thinks his son wouldnt be safe in prison under Trump. And that is a reasonable assumption imo.

    • Grapho@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      5 hours ago

      That is the bed that Biden made when he decided to massively incarcerate poor people to get some free labor for corporations.

    • Jack@slrpnk.net
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      23
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      9 hours ago

      All the immigrants will not be safe unter trump also, but nobody cares about them do they?

        • Jack@slrpnk.net
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          4 hours ago

          Just wait for the tariffs to kick in, then they will live as kings and there will be no economic problems ever again /s

      • Monkey With A Shell@lemmy.socdojo.com
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        5
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        6 hours ago

        Are they charged or convicted of a federal crime where a pardon is even relevant? It’s not a power to grant citizenships or a genie wish.

        Now, the whole ‘president can down whatever they like as an official act’ that the SCOTUS gave recently is another matter…