1 / 14In a brazen reversal, President Joe Biden has issued “a full and unconditional” pardon to his son Hunter, who was facing sentencing for violations related to taxes and gun ownership. Biden is by no means the first president to exercise the clemency power of the nation’s highest office. Here’s a look at some of the most controversial pardons in history: (Image: Reuters)
2 / 142024: Joe Biden – Hunter Biden | The son of outgoing President Biden was scheduled for sentencing on December 12 for federal gun charges. Additionally, he was set to be sentenced on December 16 for a separate case in which he pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion charges in September. He was been granted “a full and unconditional” pardon. (Image: Reuters)
3 / 142020: Donald Trump – Charles Kushner | Trump issued a pardon to Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who had been sentenced to two years in prison for tax evasion, making false statements to the Federal Election Commission, and attempting to intimidate a federal witness. (Image: Reuters)
4 / 142020: Donald Trump – Roger Stone | A Trump ally, Roger Stone, was charged with lying to Congress, witness tampering, and obstruction related to the Trump-Russia investigation. He was sentenced to over three years in prison in 2020, but Trump commuted his sentence. (Image: Reuters)
5 / 142020: Donald Trump – Paul Manafort | Paul Manafort, another ally of Trump, had been sentenced to over seven years in prison for bank and tax fraud. He received a pardon from Trump in the final days of his first term. (Image: Reuters)
6 / 142020: Donald Trump – Steve Bannon | Steve Bannon was granted a pardon for his involvement in a scheme to raise funds for Trump’s border wall between the US and Mexico. However, New York state prosecutors have since initiated their own investigation into the case. (Image: Reuters)
7 / 14January 2017: Barack Obama – Chelsea Manning | The former Army soldier was sentenced to 35 years in prison after being convicted in 2013 of leaking classified information about US national security activities. She had already served seven years when former President Obama commuted most of the remaining sentence. (Image: Reuters)
8 / 142001: Bill Clinton – Roger Clinton | Former President Bill Clinton pardoned his half-brother, who had been sentenced to over a year in prison after pleading guilty to selling cocaine to an undercover officer. (Image: Reuters)
9 / 142001: Bill Clinton – Marc Rich | Clinton pardoned billionaire fugitive Marc Rich after his ex-wife, Denise Rich, made significant donations to Democrats. The pardon was widely seen as a form of legal bribery. Rich, a commodities trader, had fled to Switzerland after being indicted in 1983 for evading millions in taxes and illegally trading with Iran while it held American hostages. (Image: Reuters)
10 / 14December 1992: George HW Bush – Iran contra felons | President George HW Bush pardoned six former officials from President Reagan’s administration, including former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger, who were implicated in the Iran-Contra affair. The officials faced charges for secretly facilitating the sale of arms to Iran, which was under an arms embargo, to fund Nicaraguan insurgents fighting the country’s anti-American regime. (Image: Reuters)
11 / 141977: Jimmy Carter – Vietnam War draft dodgers | On his first full day in office, former President Jimmy Carter fulfilled his campaign promise by pardoning draft dodgers from the Vietnam War. However, the pardon did not extend to military deserters or convicted civilian protesters who had engaged in acts of violence. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
12 / 141974: Gerald R Ford – Richard Nixon | In the only pardon of an Oval Office occupant, former President Gerald Ford granted a “full, free, and absolute pardon” to former President Richard Nixon after he resigned due to the Watergate scandal. Although Nixon was never formally charged with a crime, his acceptance of the pardon was widely interpreted as an admission of guilt, referencing a 1915 Supreme Court case. (Image: Reuters)
13 / 141868: Andrew Johnson – Ex-Confederates | On Christmas Day in 1868, President Andrew Johnson granted a “full pardon and amnesty” for treason to “every person who directly or indirectly participated in the late insurrection or rebellion” (the Civil War). Initially, Johnson had carved out exceptions and required some individuals to sign a loyalty oath to the United States before receiving reprieve, but this was later extended to a broader pardon. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
14 / 141795: George Washington – Whiskey Tax protesters | In the first-ever presidential pardon, President George Washington granted clemency to two Pennsylvania men who had been sentenced to hang for treason after participating in the violent Whiskey Rebellion. The rebellion had threatened the federal government’s sovereignty, and Washington’s decision to pardon the men was aimed at fostering national unity and stability. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
