In September, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to nine counts of federal tax fraud, for which he faced up to 17 years in prison.
He was also found guilty of three felonies in connection with the purchase of a gun in June, for which he faced up to 25 years in prison.
An investigation into the president’s son has once again revealed uncomfortable and embarrassing details about his personal life, including his addiction to crack and cocaine. escort payments.
President Biden has been largely silent during the investigation into his son, but has strongly defended him in the pardon.
“There have been attempts to break Hunter, who has been sober for five and a half years, despite relentless attacks and selective prosecution,” President Biden said.
“In trying to break Hunter, they tried to break me – and there’s no reason to think it’s going to stop there. Enough.”
He added: “I hope the American people will understand why the father and the president came to this decision.”
The pardon covers the period between Jan. 1, 2014 and Dec. 1, 2024, “including but not limited to” the tax and weapons crimes he was convicted of.
Mr. Weiss said that because of this unconditional pardon, he could not make any “additional enforcement decisions” against Hunter Biden during that period.
“It would be inappropriate to discuss whether the additional costs are justified,” he said.
Mr. Weiss has previously defended his investigation into the president’s son.
In 2023 He informed the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives about this there was never any political pressure or interference in his work by the Department of Justice.
Mr. Weiss’ investigation into Hunter Biden has been scrutinized on both sides of the political spectrum.
Democrats said it was politically charged and felt Hunter Biden had an unfair target on his back.
Republicans felt that the Department of Justice was not aggressive enough in bringing charges and showed unfair favoritism to the president’s son.
Hunter Biden was convicted after breaking a plea deal in 2023.
A judge refused to approve a deal — which Republicans called a “sweetheart deal” — that would have seen Hunter Biden plead guilty to tax evasion to avoid more serious gun charges.
In a statement released Monday, Hunter Biden’s lawyer, Abe Lowell, criticized Mr. Weiss for the botched deal.
“Mr. Weiss also cannot explain why he withdrew his own consent, a reversal that came at the 11th hour in court when he and his office faced blistering attacks from Republicans,” Mr. Lowell said. .
