The pardon covers offenses Hunter Biden "has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024."

Joe Biden had repeatedly denied that he was going to pardon his son Hunter for his gun and tax evasion convictions or commute what was shaping up to be a substantive prison sentence. On the Sunday evening after Thanksgiving – at a moment when the American public’s attention was decidedly elsewhere – he announced he had changed his mind.

President Joe Biden's pardon of his son not only spared Hunter a possible prison sentence; he also protected him from any retaliatory prosecutions by the Trump Justice Department.