What happened
President Joe Biden Sunday night pardoned his son Hunter for any offenses he "committed or may have committed or taken part in" since early 2014. The pardon, which spares the younger Biden a possible prison sentence for felony gun and tax convictions, reversed the president's repeated promise he would not grant his son clemency.
Who said what
Hunter was "selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted" for offenses that are rarely charged, "only because he is my son," Biden said in a statement. "I believe in the justice system," but "I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice."
Republicans and some Democrats criticized the pardon. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) said Biden "put his family ahead of the country" and set a "bad precedent that could be abused by later presidents." Donald Trump, who pardoned several political allies and his in-law Charles Kushner right before leaving office in 2021, called it "an abuse and miscarriage of justice."
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What next?
Sunday's pardon came as Trump "made it clearer than ever that his second term would be focused on retribution and revenge" against Biden, The New York Times said, "with Hunter Biden as a prime target."
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