Following a six-year saga involving investigations by the Justice Department and Congress, President Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, for three felony firearm offenses and federal tax crimes. Hunter Biden had faced up to 17 years in prison and was scheduled for sentencing on December 16th. This article revisits the key events of this prolonged legal battle.
The federal investigation into Hunter Biden commenced in 2018, partly due to suspicious activity reports concerning international transactions, particularly involving funds from China and other nations. Fox News initially reported on this investigation in October 2020, revealing the FBI's subpoena of Hunter Biden's laptop during a money laundering probe.
Despite being dismissed as Russian disinformation by Democrats and media outlets, the laptop's authenticity and its containing of Hunter Biden's records were later confirmed in 2022. Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook had restricted the spread of related stories before the 2020 election, a move later documented by Twitter under Elon Musk's ownership.
Concurrent with the federal investigation, Senators Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson were investigating Hunter Biden's involvement with Ukrainian gas company Burisma Holdings. Their 2020 report revealed that Obama administration officials acknowledged the problematic nature of Hunter Biden's position on Burisma's board, particularly its interference with U.S.-Ukraine policy. Hunter Biden's association with Burisma began in 2014 while his father, then-Vice President, oversaw U.S.-Ukraine relations.
Hunter Biden's Ukraine dealings also surfaced during Trump's first impeachment inquiry in 2019. Trump's request to Ukraine's president to investigate the Bidens was deemed by Democrats as a quid pro quo and election meddling, while Republicans viewed it as a legitimate inquiry into Hunter Biden's business activities. Joe Biden has admitted to pressuring Ukraine to fire the prosecutor investigating Burisma, where Hunter held a lucrative position.
Under President Biden's term, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer investigated the Biden family's finances, uncovering over $27 million received from foreign sources since 2014.
In 2023, IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler alleged political interference in the Hunter Biden probe, leading to the appointment of David Weiss as special counsel. This resulted in federal charges against Hunter Biden in Delaware and California. House Republicans launched an impeachment inquiry into President Biden, culminating in a report accusing him of "impeachable conduct" and enriching his family through abuse of office.
After a failed plea deal, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to federal tax crimes. President Biden's subsequent pardon of his son, covering offenses committed between 2014 and 2024, contradicted his earlier assurances of non-interference. The president justified his decision citing the "selective and unfair prosecution" of his son and the toll it has taken on his family.
