The pardon comes nearly a month before the end of President Biden's term, contradicting earlier promises he had made not to issue a pardon for his son, Hunter.

Outgoing US President Joe Biden has granted a pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, following his conviction on federal charges related to gun possession and taxes. This decision comes despite earlier commitments from President Biden not to intervene on behalf of his family members.

The pardon absolves Hunter Biden of potential prison time following his conviction on felony charges for both gun possession and tax violations. This action occurs just weeks before Hunter was due to face sentencing after his conviction in the gun case and his guilty plea concerning tax offenses.

In a statement to the Associated Press, Hunter Biden expressed gratitude for the pardon, vowing to dedicate his life to helping those still struggling with addiction. "I have admitted and taken responsibility for my mistakes during the darkest days of my addiction—mistakes that have been exploited to publicly humiliate and shame me and my family for political sport," he stated.

President Biden defended his son's actions, describing the conviction as "a miscarriage of justice." He asserted, "No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter's cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son—and that is wrong."

Hunter Biden first revealed that he was under federal investigation in December 2020, just a month after his father was elected president. Biden pointed out that the charges were initiated after several of his political opponents in Congress had pressed for them as a means to attack him and oppose his election.

"I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision," President Biden said. He noted that the decision was made over the Thanksgiving weekend, when the Biden family was gathered in Nantucket, Massachusetts. "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."

This use of presidential pardon powers comes as President Biden nears the end of his term, with Donald Trump set to be inaugurated as the next president on January 20. The pardon contradicts earlier statements in which President Biden had promised not to grant clemency to his family members. In an interview with ABC News in June, Biden had explicitly ruled out a pardon or clemency for Hunter. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated this stance on November 8, saying, "We've been asked that question multiple times. Our answer stands, which is no."