What other family members received presidential pardons

(NewsNation)—On Sunday, President Joe Biden issued a pardon for his lad Hunter aft antecedently saying that helium would not. He not lone reversed people arsenic helium prepares to permission the White House but besides became the latest U.S. President to pardon a household member.

In his clemency announcement, the president called his son’s attraction a “miscarriage of justice” and pointed to governmental information down his son’s charges.

“Today, I signed a pardon for my lad Hunter. From the time I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my connection adjacent arsenic I person watched my lad being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,” Biden said successful a connection issued by the White House.

With Sunday’s announcement, Biden became lone the 3rd president to marque specified a declaration for a relative. But different notable personalities person been granted pardons passim past arsenic erstwhile U.S. presidents person utilized their authorization to contented pardons.

Hunter Biden pardoned by his father

Hunter Biden pleaded blameworthy to taxation evasion charges successful September, 3 months aft helium was convicted successful a abstracted weapon proceedings successful June.

After Biden was recovered blameworthy of the taxation charges, the White House remained adamant that the president would not contented a pardon for his son. Hunter Biden was scheduled to beryllium sentenced connected the transgression charges much than a period earlier President-elect Donald Trump begins his 2nd word successful the White House.

In the connection issued connected Sunday, President Biden said that helium wrestled with his determination but said that “raw politics” had infected the judicial process and led to a miscarriage of justice. Hunter Biden was facing up to 17 years successful situation and up to a $450,000 good for the taxation charges and up to 25 years successful situation for the felony weapon charges.

The president’s sweeping pardon covers not conscionable the weapon and taxation offenses against the younger Biden, but besides immoderate different “offenses against the United States which helium has committed oregon whitethorn person committed oregon taken portion successful during the play from January 1, 2014, done December 1, 2024.

In response, Trump called Biden’s determination “an maltreatment and miscarriage of justice” and questioned connected Truth Social whether the pardon would beryllium extended to those who had been convicted successful transportation with the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riots.

Donald Trump pardons his in-law

Trump, who volition beryllium inaugurated connected January 20 aft defeating Vice President Kamala Harris successful November, issued respective statesmanlike pardons astatine the extremity of his archetypal term, including 1 to the begetter of his son-in-law.

Charles Kushner, who Trump nominated arsenic his Ambassador to France, is the begetter of Trump’s son-in-law, Jared. In a societal media post, Trump referred to the elder Kushner – a existent property developer – arsenic a “tremendous concern leader, philanthropist and dealmaker.

Trump pardoned Charles Kushner successful 2020 aft Kushner had pleaded blameworthy to taxation evasion charges and to making amerciable run donations.

Charles Kushner wades done the media with his ineligible squad and woman to the U.S. District Courthouse connected August 18, 2004, successful Newark, New Jersey. Kushner, a New Jersey developer and a large run contributor to Democrats including embattled Gov. Jim McGreevey, is expected to plead blameworthy to national charges that helium hired a prostitute to effort to soundlessness a witnesser successful a national investigation. (Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images)

According to reports, Charles Kushner hired a prostitute to lure his brother-in-law, past arranged to person the brushwood successful a New Jersey motel country recorded with a hidden camera and the signaling sent to his sister, the man’s wife, prosecutors said.

Kushner yet pleaded blameworthy to 18 counts including taxation evasion and witnesser tampering, the Associated Press reported. He was sentenced successful 2005 to 2 years successful situation — the astir helium could person nether a plea deal, but little than what Chris Christie, the U.S. lawyer for New Jersey astatine the clip and aboriginal politician and Republican statesmanlike candidate, had sought.

Bill Clinton pardons half-brother

In 2001, President Bill Clinton issued a pardon for his half-brother, Roger Clinton, who had antecedently been convicted of drug-related charges.

The pardon came connected Clinton’s last time successful bureau connected January 20, 2001.

Roger Clinton, the lad of Bill Clinton’s mother, Virginia Dell Kelly, and his stepfather pleaded blameworthy successful 1985 to selling cocaine to an undercover constabulary serviceman successful Arkansas, the Washington Post reported. Roger Clinton spent a twelvemonth successful prison, but the statesmanlike pardon cleared his transgression record, the Post reported.

The study besides indicated that Roger Clinton had provided President Clinton with a database of radical to pardon but had not paid to marque the recommendations. Those listed were not included successful those whom Bill Clinton issued pardoned.

Other notable statesmanlike pardons

Richard Nixon

The erstwhile president who became embroiled successful ungraded during Watergate, was issued a pre-emptive pardon by President Gerald Ford contempt ne'er being charged oregon convicted of national crimes.

In this Jan. 27, 1963, record photograph President Richard Nixon speaks during his archetypal quality league arsenic president successful the East Room of the White House successful Washington. (AP Photo, File)

Nixon and respective of his aides were recovered to person committed amerciable activities during Nixon’s bid for re-election successful 1972. Nixon, who was besides accused of covering up the ungraded that was brought to airy by 2 Washington Post reporters, became the archetypal U.S. President to resign arsenic impeachment hearings against him were ongoing.

After Nixon near bureau connected August 9, 1974, Ford was sworn into bureau and became the 38^th President of the United States.

Ford was instantly asked astir Nixon’s actions and began to inquire White House counsel Phil Buchen to look into the ineligible precedent of pardoning a erstwhile president, according to The Ford Museum Library. On Sept. 8, 1974, Ford addressed the federation from the Oval Office and announced his determination to contented a  “full, free, and implicit pardon for Richard Nixon for each offenses against the United States.” The pardon included offenses that Nixon committed oregon whitethorn person committed.

Jimmy Hoffa

Hoffa, the erstwhile president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, was serving a 13-year situation condemnation erstwhile helium was pardoned by Nixon successful 1971.

Nixon commuted Hoffa’s condemnation aft the erstwhile national brag had served 4 years and 9 months successful situation aft helium was sentenced to 8 years for assemblage tampering and 5 years for pension money fraud, the Washington Post reported. Although Hoffa was technically not pardoned, which would person cleared his transgression record, Hoffa received the commutation of his sentence, which allowed him to permission situation early.

Years later, rumors surfaced that Nixon received a large currency payoff from Hoffa. The Arizona Republic reported successful 1979 that Hoffa paid Nixon $500,000 for his release, the Washington Post reported. However, FBI sources told the paper that a 19-page diary that included connection of the payoff had been fabricated.

Patty Hearst

The granddaughter of paper magnate William Rudolph Hearst was reportedly kidnapped astatine the hands of a extremist guerrilla radical that called itself the Symbionese Liberation Army. However, she past said that she had voluntarily joined the radical and was aboriginal progressive successful a slope robbery.

Hearst was photographed with an battle firearm during the robbery of the San Francisco slope and aboriginal claimed successful tribunal that she had been brainwashed and assaulted portion being held. President Jimmy Carter commuted Hearst’s seven-year situation condemnation aft she was convicted of slope robbery charges successful 1976.

She was freed from jailhouse and aboriginal received a afloat condemnation from Clinton successful 2001.

Like with Roger Clinton, Hearst received the afloat pardon hours earlier Bill Clinton near office. Hearst, who served conscionable 7 months of her situation condemnation earlier Carter commuted the sentence, had her close to ballot and clasp nationalist bureau reinstated. However, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the pardon did not expunge her transgression conviction.