Trump is set to be sworn in at the presidential inauguration in mid-January, meaning that we’re onto the final weeks of Joe Biden’s presidential term. But that doesn’t mean that we won’t be hearing from the 82-year-old US President anymore.
In fact, Biden just made a move which stunned many — he has pardoned his son, despite saying earlier that he wouldn’t do that.
Here’s what he said in the surprise reversal.
TLDR: What Joe Biden’s Son Was Convicted Of
To understand why Joe Biden suddenly reversed his position on pardoning his son, we need to know why exactly Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, had to be pardoned in the first place.
54-year-old Hunter Biden was convicted earlier this year for two key things. First, a conviction relating to lying on a federal firearms application and second, a conviction relating to several tax offences.
In June this year, a jury had found the US President’s younger son guilty of lying on a federal firearms application. In particular, Hunter Biden had lied about his illegal drug use in order to buy a gun.
If you didn’t know, those seeking to purchase firearms in the US are required to fill in a form known as a Firearms Transaction Record, or ATF Form 4473. The form includes a question pertaining to the use of drugs — if you’re a drug user, it’s likely that you can’t buy a gun.
During Hunter Biden’s trial, the jury found that the 54-year-old had lied on the form, by stating that he was not a drug user despite being one. As a result, the jury found him guilty and he was convicted.
A few months later, in September, Hunter Biden then pleaded guilty to a list of federal tax charges for falsifying records and failing to file returns.
He was set to be sentenced for both convictions this month — but well, not anymore.
Joe Biden Pardons His Son Despite Pledging Earlier Not to Do So
On Sunday (1 December), US President Joe Biden granted a pardon for not just his son’s two convictions, but also any other “offences against the United States which he has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from Jan 1, 2014 through Dec 1, 2024”.
At this juncture, if you’re wondering what a pardon is, it’s a little like a “Get Out of Jail Free” card. US presidents have the power to “forgive” federal criminal offences by granting a pardon — that was what Joe Biden did for his son in this case.
In other words, Joe Biden’s son now does not need to serve a sentence for his two convictions — the two convictions are essentially “forgiven”.
But if you follow US politics at all, you would know that Joe Biden had always maintained the position that he would not pardon his son. So, why the sudden switch-up?
According to Biden’s statement, it appeared that Biden felt that his son had been selectively and unfairly prosecuted.
Or, in mandarin, we call this “wán chòu”.
The President said in his statement: “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 non-criminal resolutions.”
“It is clear that Hunter was treated differently,” he added.
The US president also believed that a reasonable person would see how Hunter Biden was singled out for prosecution only because he was the US President’s son. He added that there was “an effort to break Hunter”.
And in a “mic drop” moment, Joe Biden ended off his statement by saying: “Here’s 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 justice.”
So, that explains Joe Biden’s surprise reversal lah.
Watch this for a complete summary of what REALLY happened to Qoo10, and why it's like a K-drama:
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