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(Corrects the second paragraph to reflect that the end date of the amnesty is Dec 1, 2024, not the end of this year)
By Tom Hals
WILMINGTON, Delaware (Reuters) – US President Joe Biden has pardoned his son Hunter Biden after repeatedly vowing not to. Below is a look at the events leading up to the pardon and its legal consequences.
WHAT DID FAITH CHANGE?
Hunter Biden was acquitted of his guilt by a jury in Delaware and appealed in California. Hunter Biden was also pardoned for crimes the government “committed or may have committed” between January 1, 2014 and December 1, 2024.
WHAT EVENTS WAS HUNTER BIDEN HEARD?
A Delaware jury in June found the president’s son guilty of lying about his drug use on a disclosure form required to buy a gun. The trial included hours of embarrassing testimony about Hunter Biden’s disruptive and reckless behavior. He was scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 12.
Biden was separately accused of failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes while spending more on drugs, prostitutes and luxury goods. He was scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 16.
WHICH DECISION DID BIDEN FACE?
He had been in prison for years, although sentencing guidelines indicated that he would receive a much lighter sentence.
In gun cases, the sentencing guidelines are 15 to 21 months, although legal experts said those charged with similar crimes receive shorter sentences and may not be jailed if they comply with pre-trial motions. Hunter Biden’s attorney told the judge that he was complying with his bail conditions, which included drug testing to ensure he did not use drugs.
The judge told CNN after the hearing that he didn’t think Hunter Biden was in prison.
IS THERE NO PRAYER?
Yes. In June of last year Hunter Biden agreed to plead guilty to two counts of willful tax evasion and a deal that would have protected him from gun charges. The deal prompted Republicans to say that Hunter Biden was receiving favors as the president’s son. A federal judge questioned the extent of the deal and refused to approve it, paving the way for Hunter Biden to be charged with a gun charge.
CAN HUNTER BIDEN BE CALLED TO TESTIFY IN ANOTHER TRIAL?
If the House of Representatives in the US or the Department of Justice decides to investigate the business of the Biden family, as the Republicans have promised to do, Hunter Biden may be called to testify. Before being pardoned, he could have refused to do so, citing his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. The amnesty may limit his ability to request that freedom, as he no longer faces the threat of any prosecution by the government at the time it is granted. Presidential pardons do not protect individuals from prosecution for federal crimes.
IS THE PRESIDENT’S PARDON ORIGINAL?
No. Leaders starting with George Washington, the first president of the US, have issued amnesties. Gerald Ford (NYSE: ) pardoned his predecessor Richard Nixon, who resigned in disgrace, Bill Clinton pardoned his brother and Donald Trump pardoned Charles Kushner, the real estate developer and father of Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
