Tuesday, December 3

Warning: This article contains content that may be inappropriate for young children.

United States President Joe Biden has pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, of his federal convictions for several tax charges and three other charges for illegally purchasing a gun.

Hunter Biden, 54 years old, is the second son of incumbent President Joe Biden, who will leave office in early 2025 and hand the presidency over to Donald Trump. Hunter Biden was convicted in June after a long trial that exposed his usage of drugs and substances, proving that he had illegally purchased a gun.

A Firearms Transaction Record, also known as ATF Form 4473, is a form required by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) when attempting to buy a firearm from a licensed dealer. Included on the form is the customer's history with drugs, which is a crucial element in the process to buy a firearm. Hunter Biden was found by a Delaware jury to be guilty of lying on the form about his drug use, leading to a possible sentence of up to 25 years.

In addition, Hunter Biden also pleaded guilty in September during a case that accused him of failing to file and pay his taxes, tax evasion, and filing a false tax return. He was found to be guilty of failing to pay over $1.4 million in taxes, which led to another possible sentence of up to 17 years in prison. However, even if he had not been pardoned, Hunter Biden would likely be facing much less than 42 years in jail due to his family's status, and in cases where people face multiple charges, the sentences are usually served at the same time.

Throughout the indictment and the trial, Joe Biden did not interfere in the proceedings despite having the power to dismiss the charges, and even after Hunter Biden was found guilty, he promised not to pardon his son. However, he went back on that promise on Sunday. Representatives of the Biden administration stated that they had pondered over the issue during Thanksgiving and had decided to pardon him due to a number of factors.

One official told media that Biden's political opposition was going after Hunter Biden solely due to the fact that he was the president's son, leading to "a miscarriage of justice." First Lady Jill Biden also supported the pardon, which clears him of all convicted felonies between 2014 and 2024. Several years ago, Hunter Biden served a term on the board of a Ukrainian gas company, known as Burisma. During his time on the board, he made several business decisions that have been heavily criticized by Republicans, so he has also been cleared of any possible charges stemming from those agreements.

Hunter Biden made a statement soon after his pardoning: "I have admitted and taken responsibility for my mistakes during the darkest days of my addiction -- mistakes that have been exploited to publicly humiliate and shame me and my family for political sport." Joe Biden also pointed how his son has maintained sobriety for five and a half years, and has also paid back all of the taxes he owed.

The pardon has seen mixed reactions from citizens and politicians, though. Several prominent Republicans, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, publicly expressed their displeasure over the pardon, claiming that Hunter Biden's trial was completely fair and the pardon further damaged Americans' trust in the justice system. Donald Trump also made a post on social media saying, "such an abuse and miscarriage of justice!" In fact, a handful of Democrats criticized Biden's pardoning as well.

Both trials were led by special counsel David Weiss, who was appointed by Trump during his term as the United States attorney for Delaware. Weiss responded with confirmation that the trial was executed in a perfectly fair manner, and Hunter Biden was truly guilty of all of his tax and gun charges. He also countered the Biden administration's claims with a statement in a court filing on Monday, pointing out how there is no evidence that a biased or politically skewed trial took place.

However, many Democrats backed Joe Biden over his decision, responding to the criticism. They claim that others across the country who have committed similar crimes have received completely different punishments, and that Hunter Biden was being targeted by his father's political opposition.

Despite the controversy of the pardon, presidential pardons are irreversible. Hunter Biden's sentencing that was scheduled for later this month will be canceled, and when Donald Trump takes office in 2025, he will not be able to take back Biden's pardon. However, Trump plans to do some pardoning of his own-- he has confirmed that he will pardon his supporters who participated in the January 6, 2021 riot on the Capitol.

Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Cats sleep about 70% of their life, which equates to around 13-16 hours per day. Meanwhile, humans only spend about one-third of their life sleeping-- the average human gets about eight hours of sleep every day.

Quote of the Day: If you think you’re too small to make a difference, try spending the night with a mosquito. (African Proverb)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Complaisant (adj)- Someone described as complaisant is willing or eager to please other people, or is easily convinced to do what other people want.

In a Sentence: Derek was a complaisant boy, always happy to oblige whenever his mother or father asked him to run an errand.