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Washington (Daily Pakistan Online) US President Joe Biden has granted a full and unconditional pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, who was convicted of federal gun and tax charges earlier this year. The pardon, issued on Sunday, spares Hunter from potential prison time and eliminates the need for sentencing hearings scheduled for December 12 and 16.
The pardon explicitly grants clemency for Hunter’s tax and gun offenses, as well as any potential federal crimes he may have committed between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024. This timeframe covers his tenure on the board of Ukrainian gas company Burisma and his other overseas work in China.
Hunter Biden’s lawyers have notified the judges overseeing his cases about the pardon, and he has accepted it in a sworn affidavit. The pardon is expected to lead to the dismissal of the indictment against him and the adjournment of all future proceedings.
President Biden justified his decision by claiming that his son was “selectively and unfairly prosecuted” due to his political opponents in Congress. He also stated that Hunter was “singled out” for prosecution solely because he is his son.
The pardon has sparked controversy, with President-elect Donald Trump calling it “such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!”. Trump has repeatedly accused the Bidens of corruption and has promised to pardon his supporters who attacked the US Capitol during the January 6, 2021, insurrection.
Hunter Biden’s conviction was the result of a six-year investigation that began in 2018. He was convicted of illegally buying and possessing a gun as a drug user and pleaded guilty to nine tax offenses stemming from $1.4 million in unpaid taxes.
