On Tuesday, a judge wrapped up Hunter Biden’s federal gun case after his dad, president Joe Biden gave him a pardon.
In a straightforward ruling, U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika ended all actions in the case, pointing to President Biden’s decision to grant clemency to his son. “In the absence of binding precedent” for a case that had yet to reach sentencing, “all proceedings in this case are hereby terminated,” U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika wrote in a brief docket entry Tuesday.
As we previously reported, Hunter Biden, 54, was found guilty in June for lying about his use of illicit drugs while applying to buy a gun six years ago and unlawfully possessing it thereafter.
When purchasing a Colt Cobra 38SPL revolver in 2018, the president’s son checked “no” on a federal gun purchase form that asked whether he used or was addicted to illegal drugs. He then unlawfully possessed the firearm for 11 days.
The jury’s guilty verdict marked the first criminal conviction of a sitting president’s child.
Prosecutors from special counsel David Weiss’ office, who handled both the gun case and the separate tax charges against Hunter Biden, filed a similar motion on Monday with the federal judge in charge of Hunter’s tax case in California.
President Joe Biden had previously promised that he wouldn’t pardon his son, Hunter, who was supposed to be sentenced this month for his gun and tax convictions. But, in a surprising turn, the president went ahead and granted that pardon on Sunday anyway.
The sweeping pardon covers not only Hunter Biden’s convictions in two cases in Delaware and California, but also any other “offenses against the United States which he has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024.”
