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."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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."
-
‘The worry is far from fanciful’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
How are Americans bracing for the end of SNAP?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Millions depend on supplemental federal food funds that are set to expire this month, as the government shutdown begins to be acutely felt
-
Book review: ‘Joyride: A Memoir’Feature A journalist’s story of how she chased and accomplished her dreams
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
-
Trump nominee in limbo after racist texts leakSpeed Read Paul Ingrassia lost Republican support following the exposure of past racist text messages
-
Trump begins East Wing demolition for ballroomspeed read The president’s new construction will cost $250 million
