US President Joe Biden has pardoned his son Hunter Biden after repeatedly pledging not to do so. Below is an overview of the circumstances that led to this pardon and its legal consequences.
WHAT IS GRACE FOCUS ON?
Hunter Biden was pardoned for his jury conviction in Delaware and his guilty plea in California. Hunter Biden was also pardoned for federal crimes “he committed or may have committed” between January 1, 2014 and the end of this year.
WHAT CRIMES WAS HUNTER BIDEN CONVICTED OF?
In June, a Delaware jury found the president's son guilty of lying about his addiction to illegal drugs on a disclosure form required to purchase a gun. The trial featured hours of embarrassing testimony about Hunter Biden's crack addiction and reckless behavior. His sentencing is scheduled for December 12.
Mr. Biden pleaded guilty to failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes while spending lavishly on drugs, prostitutes and luxury items. His sentencing is scheduled for December 16.
WHAT IS MR. BIDEN’S PUNISHMENT?
He faced decades in prison, although sentencing guidelines suggested he would likely receive a much lesser sentence.
For gun charges, the sentencing guidelines are 15 to 21 months, although legal experts have said defendants in similar situations receive shorter sentences and are less likely to be sentenced. be incarcerated if they respect the conditions of their release before trial. Hunter Biden's lawyer told the judge that he respected the conditions of his bail, which included drug tests to show that he was not using illicit products.
One juror told CNN after the trial that he didn't think Hunter Biden belonged in prison.
WAS THERE NOT A PLEA AGREEMENT?
In June of last year, Hunter Biden agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of willful failure to pay income taxes and to a deal that would have spared him a conviction for gun possession. The deal sparked accusations from Republicans that Hunter Biden was receiving preferential treatment as the president's son. A federal judge questioned the scope of that agreement and refused to accept it, paving the way for Hunter Biden to be tried on gun-related charges.
COULD HUNTER BIDEN BE CALLED TO TESTIFY IN ANOTHER CASE?
If the U.S. House of Representatives or the Justice Department decides to investigate the Biden family's affairs, as some Republicans have promised to do, Hunter Biden could be called to testify. Before being pardoned, he could have refused to do so by invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. The pardon could limit his ability to invoke that right because he no longer faces criminal prosecution for federal crimes committed during the covered period. Presidential pardons do not protect people from prosecution for state crimes.
ARE PRESIDENTIAL PARSONS UNUSUAL?
No. Presidents, starting with George Washington, the first president of the United States, have granted pardons. Gerald Ford pardoned his predecessor Richard Nixon, who had resigned in disgrace, Bill Clinton pardoned his brother-in-law, and Donald Trump pardoned Charles Kushner, a real estate developer and the father of Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
