Biden pardons his son Hunter despite his pledges not to

US President Joe Biden formally pardoned his son, Hunter, on Sunday evening following federal felony gun and tax convictions that he previously pledged he would not use his executive powers to reverse.

Biden said in a lengthy statement that the charges against his son were politically motivated, adding "raw politics has infected" the justice system and resulted in a "miscarriage of justice."

"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. There has been an effort to break Hunter – who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution," he said.

"In trying to break Hunter, they've tried to break me – and there's no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough," he added.

Hunter Biden was found guilty of federal gun charges linked to his possession of a firearm while he was addicted to drugs in 2018. He separately pleaded guilty to federal tax charges in September.

The presidential pardon covers both convictions and is a major reversal for a president who repeatedly vowed he would not do so. Biden is slated to depart the US on Sunday evening for a trip to Africa, where he is unlikely to face reporters for the next several days.

A previous plea deal struck by Hunter Biden's legal team unraveled under scrutiny from a judge in July 2023.

"The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election," the elder Biden said.

"Then, a carefully negotiated plea deal, agreed to by the Department of Justice, unraveled in the court room – with a number of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure on the process. Had the plea deal held, it would have been a fair, reasonable resolution of Hunter's cases," he added.