Hunter Biden acknowledged in a BBC interview that his father’s presidential pardon was “not good” for America or his father’s legacy, even as he defended the controversial December 2024 decision that spared him from sentencing on federal gun and tax charges.
In the wide-ranging interview with BBC Newsnight, Hunter Biden described himself as “the most privileged person there is” after receiving the full and unconditional pardon from former President Joe Biden. He said the criticism of the decision was justified, telling the BBC: “It’s something that is easily criticised and for good reason.”
Hunter Biden, 54, was convicted in June 2024 of three federal felony gun charges related to lying on a firearms purchase form in 2018 when he was addicted to cocaine. He pleaded guilty in September to nine federal tax charges, including felony tax evasion and filing false returns. He was facing possible prison time when his father issued the pardon just weeks before his scheduled sentencing.
Despite previously stating he would not intervene in his son’s legal cases, President Biden issued the pardon on December 1, 2024, covering all federal offenses Hunter Biden committed between 2014 and 2024. In his statement at the time, the former president said his son had been “selectively and unfairly prosecuted.”
In the BBC interview, Hunter Biden argued that his father acted out of concern he would become a target under the incoming Trump administration. “I was the only one in the world that could have gotten what I got from the only person in the world who could give it, my father,” he said. He also insisted he and his father had never discussed a pardon beforehand, saying such discussions would inevitably become public.
The pardon drew criticism from both Republicans and some Democrats, who argued it undermined the rule of law. President Biden’s decision to pardon his son placed him among a small group of U.S. presidents who have pardoned close relatives. In 2001, President Bill Clinton pardoned his half-brother Roger Clinton for drug-related charges on his final day in office. Former President Donald Trump pardoned Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, in 2020.
In the BBC interview, Hunter Biden also discussed his father’s health, revealing that his cancer had spread and describing it as “very painful” and “very debilitating.” He reflected on the June 2024 presidential debate that led to his father’s decision to exit the 2024 race, saying he immediately sensed something was wrong when he watched it from California. He ruled out any future interest in elected office, saying instead he wants to focus on speaking about addiction and recovery as a way to bridge America’s political divides.
Sources
- BBC News — Hunter Biden’s full BBC Newsnight interview on the pardon, his father’s health, and his future plans (August 7, 2026)
- The Presidency (UCSB) — Official statement on the presidential pardon for R. Hunter Biden (December 1, 2024)
- AP News — Hunter Biden’s gun trial conviction and tax case plea (June 2024 and September 2024)
- Washington Post — Analysis of Biden’s pardon and historical precedent for family pardons (December 2, 2024)
- BBC News — Reporting on Biden’s unconditional pardon and Hunter Biden’s convictions (December 2, 2024)
