Hunter Biden received a “full and unconditional” pardon from his dad, President Joe Biden in December. But this gesture of love, one of President Joe Biden’s final acts while in office, came before Special Counsel Davis Weiss released the final report on his investigation into the president’s son.
As Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the chairman of the oversight committee, released a statement that said Special Counsel David Weiss‘ six-year-long case into the president’s son came to an abrupt end and he was forced to release “an incomplete 27-page report“ because of the “unprecedented pardon.” The pardon prevents Weiss “from holding Hunter Biden accountable for international influence peddling“ while President Biden served as vice president, Comer said.
“Let’s be clear: the Biden DOJ was never going to prosecute the Biden Crime Family. The House Oversight Committee’s investigation of the Bidens’ influence peddling schemes revealed how Joe Biden knew about, participated in, and benefited from his family cashing in on the Biden name,” Comer continued.
“Joe Biden will be remembered for using his last few weeks in office to shield his son from the law and protect himself. The president’s legacy is the same as his family’s business dealings: corrupt,” he said.
Hunter Biden was convicted in two cases last year. His pardon came ahead of sentencing hearings.
He was convicted of buying a gun while lying about using drugs. He also pled guilty to committing tax fraud and failing to pay $1.4 million in federal taxes.
Ahead of the trials, President Biden maintained he would not pardon his son, but went against his promise at the last minute in a move that protects Hunter Biden for any crimes he may have committed from Jan. 1, 2014, to Dec. 1, 2024.
At the time, the president indicated his son was unfairly targeted because of his position in office.
“No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son — and that is wrong,” Biden said.
What’s in the report
But Weiss rejected the president’s assertion in the report and defended the “thorough, impartial investigations” into the president’s son.
“Other presidents have pardoned family members, but in doing so, none have taken the occasion as an opportunity to malign the public servants at the Department of Justice based solely on false accusations,” the report said.
Weiss, who took on the role of special counsel in 2023, said, “Politicians who attack the decisions of career prosecutors as politically motivated when they disagree with the outcome of a case undermine the public’s confidence in our criminal justice system.” The report argued President Biden’s statements “impugn the integrity not only of Department of Justice personnel, but all of the public servants making these difficult decisions in good faith.”
Here’s what else the report found:
Hunter Biden, a lawyer and businessman, “willfully” failed to pay his taxes in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 despite living an “extravagant lifestyle.”
He earned “more than $7 million in total gross income, including approximately $1.5 million in 2016, $2.3 million in 2017, $2.1 million in 2018, $1 million in 2019 and $188,000 from January through October 15, 2020.”
“(Hunter) Biden made this money by using his last name and connections to secure lucrative business opportunities, such as a board seat at a Ukrainian industrial conglomerate, Burisma Holdings Limited, and a joint venture with individuals associated with a Chinese energy conglomerate,” the report said. “He negotiated and executed contracts and agreements that paid him millions of dollars for limited work.”
Hunter Biden’s lawyer reacts
Abbe Lowell, left, an attorney for Hunter Biden, makes a statement after Biden pled guilty to federal tax charges, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in Los Angeles. | Eric Thayer
As CNN reported, Hunter Biden‘s lawyer, Abbe Lowell in a statement said the report omits the plea deal Weiss struck with the president’s son in 2023, which came recommended by a “career prosecutor.”
“Mr. Weiss also fails to explain why he reneged on his own agreement, a reversal that came at the 11th hour in court as he and his office faced blistering attacks from Republicans and his then filing unprecedented charges for someone with no aggravating gun factors who had paid his taxes in full years before the charges were filed,” Lowell sad. “Finally, and most curious, Mr. Weiss fails to clarify why he and his prosecutors pursued wild – and debunked – conspiracies about Mr. Biden by a Russian agent that prolonged this investigation and ultimately cost taxpayers millions of dollars. What is clear from this report is that the investigation into Hunter Biden is a cautionary tale of the abuse of prosecutorial power.”
Biden, in an interview with USA Today, said he hoped the pardon wouldn’t set a bad precedent. He said he pardoned his son for two reasons. First, he paid his share in taxes, albeit late. Second, the president claimed that “no one’s ever been tried“ for lying on a form before purchasing a firearm.
“And they potentially put him in jail for X number of years for that. He had (the gun) for 10 days. Two days in his possession. No weapon, no bullets, no movement, no leave. And it got returned,” Biden said.
