The full and unconditional pardon came after the president had previously said he would not pardon his son.
Just a couple of months ago, in September, the press secretary of the White House said that Biden would not pardon his son.
But on Sunday night, President Biden said that while he has faith in the justice system, “politics infected the process and led to a miscarriage of justice.”
He added: “once I made that decision this weekend, there was no point in putting it off any longer.”
“I hope the American people will understand why the father and the president made this decision,” President Biden said.
In a reactionary statement, Hunter Biden said the mistakes he made in the darkest days of his drug addiction were “used to publicly humiliate and shame” his family for political sport.
“I will never take the pardon I was granted today for granted and will dedicate the life I have rebuilt to helping those who are still sick and suffering,” he added.
