Joe Biden Grants His Son Hunter a Presidential Pardon (UPDATE)

UPDATED 12/2 7:28 a.m. ET: Hunter Biden has issued his own statement after being pardoned by his father.

"I have admitted and taken responsibility for my mistakes during the darkest days of my addiction – mistakes that have been exploited to publicly humiliate and shame me and my family for political sport," the 54-year-old said late Sunday.

Per Hunter, he “squandered many opportunities and advantages” while battling addiction, a realization that informs his plans moving forward.

“I will never take the clemency I have been given today for granted and will devote the life I have rebuilt to helping those who are still sick and suffering,” he added, per Reuters.

For more on Joe Biden’s decision, read the pardon in full here via the White House.

See original story below.

President Joe Biden has announced he is giving a presidential pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, who was awaiting sentencing in relation to gun crime and tax convictions.

On Sunday, President Biden shared an executive grant of clemency, giving his son a "full and unconditional" pardon just a few weeks before handing over the presidency to President-Elect Donald Trump. According to the 82-year-old, the way the justice system has unfairly treated Hunter is something he cannot stand by.

"Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter," Biden said in a statement. "From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department's decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted."

He continued, "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 — and once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further. I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision."

Hunter was scheduled to be sentenced on December 12 and again on December 16 for a separate criminal case where he pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion. The move comes as a surprise, as President Biden said in June that he would not give his son a pardon or commute his sentence.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre even stated during a press conference that President Biden was standing firm on his decision not to give Hunter a pardon.

"We've been asked that question multiple times. Our answer stands, which is 'no,'" she said.

Hunter was convicted in June of illegally buying and possessing a gun. He also pleaded guilty to nine different tax offenses in which he skipped out on paying $1.4 million in taxes and instead spent money on escorts, lavish cars, and drugs.