US President Joe Biden pardons son Hunter Biden

US President Joe Biden on Sunday signed a pardon for his son Robert Hunter Biden who had been convicted on charges related to gun crimes and tax violations The pardon ensures that Hunter Biden will not face sentencing for these offences and removes the possibility of prison time reported news agency ANIIn a statement President Biden addressed the charges against his son arguing that individuals in similar situationssuch as those with tax payment issues due to addictiontypically receive noncriminal resolutions He contended that Hunters case was treated differently leading to felony charges despite the absence of aggravating factorsBiden also stressed his commitment to not interfere with the Justice Departments decisionmaking despite his belief that his son had been selectively and unfairly prosecuted reported ANIToday I signed a pardon for my son Hunter From the day I took office I said I would not interfere with the Justice Departments decisionmaking and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively and unfairly prosecuted Without aggravating factors like use in a crime multiple purchases or buying a weapon as a straw purchaser people are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form Those who were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions but paid them back subsequently with interest and penalties are typically given noncriminal resolutions It is clear that Hunter was treated differently the statement readBiden explained that the charges against his son were initiated after political opponents in Congress pushed for the case to be brought forward He added that a plea deal which had been negotiated with the Department of Justice unravelled in court due to political pressureThe charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election Then a carefully negotiated plea deal agreed to by the Department of Justice unravelled in the courtroomwith a number of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure on the process Had the plea deal held it would have been a fair reasonable resolution of Hunters cases the statement addedThe President maintained that the charges were politically motivated asserting that Hunter was targeted because of his relationship with him Biden concluded his statement by expressing his belief that while he had faith in the justice system the legal process had been influenced by politics leading to a miscarriage of justiceNo reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunters cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my sonand that is wrong 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 theyve tried to break meand theres no reason to believe it will stop here Enough is enough Biden saidFor my entire career I have followed a simple principle just tell the American people the truth Theyll be fairminded Heres the truth 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 justiceand once I made this decision this weekend there was no sense in delaying it further I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision the statement addedThis pardon marks a significant development following the US presidential elections as Biden prepares to leave the White House and make way for Donald Trump who will begin his second term in January 2025 However the pardon cannot be reversed by Presidentelect TrumpAccording to CNN Hunter Biden was found guilty in June of illegally purchasing and possessing a firearm following a trial that examined his drug addiction and family issues He also pleaded guilty in September to nine taxrelated charges for failing to pay USD 14 million in taxes while spending lavishly on escorts strippers cars and drugsWith inputs from ANI