US President Joe Biden has issued an official pardon for his son, Hunter Biden, which means he will no longer face sentencing in two separate criminal cases.

But what was Hunter Biden convicted of – and why has Joe Biden pardoned him?

FactCheck takes a look.

What was Hunter Biden convicted of?

In June, Hunter Biden was convicted for illegally possessing a firearm and lying about his drug use when buying the gun. This conviction carries a maximum sentence of 25 years, but it was expected that he would face a shorter sentence of up to 16 months.

In a separate case in September, he pleaded guilty to nine federal charges of falsifying records and failing to file tax returns. For this, Hunter Biden faced up to 17 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for 16 December.

But his father has now wiped his convictions and Hunter Biden will no longer be sentenced.

What is a presidential pardon and why can the president do it?

A presidential pardon allows the current president of the United States to wipe convictions for federal crimes.

Mr Biden’s “full and unconditional pardon” of his son covers any potential federal crimes Hunter Biden may have committed from January 2014 right through to December 2024.

Presidential pardons are common for outgoing presidents in the months before they leave the White House. This is the twenty-sixth time Joe Biden has used the power in office. Donald Trump issued 143 pardons during his tenure, and Barack Obama 212.

Why has Joe Biden changed his mind?

In June, Mr Biden said that he will not use his presidential powers to lessen the sentence for his son’s gun crime conviction.

And as recently as 7 November, two days after Donald Trump won the US election, the White House reiterated the commitment. The administration press secretary said: “We’ve been asked that question multiple times, our answer stands, which is no.”

But Mr Biden said on 1 December that although he said he “would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making” and “kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,” it is “clear that Hunter was treated differently”.

He went on to say that “people are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form” and that “those who were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions, but paid them back subsequently with interest and penalties, are typically given non-criminal resolutions”.

Mr Biden said the charges in Hunter Biden’s cases “came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election”.

He later added that “raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice”, saying: “I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.”

But Mr Biden’s decision has caused split opinion.

President-elect Donald Trump said on his social media site Truth Social that it is “such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice” and Republican Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley posted on X that he was “shocked” by the pardon because Mr Biden “said many many times he wouldn’t [use it] and I believed him.”

Greg Stanton, a Democrat congressman from Arizona, posted on X : “I respect President Biden, but I think he got this one wrong. This wasn’t a politically-motivated prosecution. Hunter committed felonies, and was convicted by a jury of his peers.”

But Eric Holder, the former Obama era attorney general, described Mr Biden’s decision as “warranted” and former federal prosecutor Sarah Krissoff told the BBC there is “a lot of truth” in the president’s allegations that Hunter Biden’s case was only prosecuted because of his surname.

Hunter Biden said: “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.”

(Image credit: Andrew Leyden/Shutterstock)