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By Jon Jackson and Matthew Impelli
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The gun case against Hunter Biden was dismissed on Tuesday by a federal judge following President Joe Biden's pardon for his son.
Hunter Biden was scheduled to be sentenced next week, but U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika had decided to closed the case.
The president's son could have faced up to 25 years in prison, but he likely would have received a lighter sentence given his status as a first-time offender.
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Prosecutors Opposed Dismissal
Prosecutors pushed back against dismissing the case, arguing in court filings that a presidential pardon should not erase the case "as if it never occurred."
Hunter Biden was convicted of three felonies for lying on a federal form in 2018 to purchase a firearm in Delaware, falsely claiming he was not a drug user during a time when he has openly admitted to struggling with addiction.
The Justice Department special counsel is also seeking to keep a separate case in California active, where Biden faces charges for failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes. A federal judge in Los Angeles has yet to issue a ruling on the matter.
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Hunter Biden Pardon
On Sunday, Biden announced he was issuing a pardon for his son, saying: "From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department's decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted. Without aggravating factors like use in a crime, multiple purchases, or buying a weapon as a straw purchaser, people are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form."
Biden added in his statement, "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. 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."
Response to Pardon
The decision has drawn sharp criticism from multiple Democrats, many of whom are strategizing their response to Trump's upcoming administration. The move also risks casting a shadow over Biden's legacy as he prepares to step down from office on January 20.
In June, as his son faced trial in a Delaware gun case, Biden told reporters: "I abide by the jury decision. I will do that and I will not pardon him."
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
Update 12/3/24 1:55 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with further information.
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