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When President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter on Sunday — breaking pledges to refrain from doing so — he tried to play it off as protecting his family. But he was really trying to protect the crooked family business. 

“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,” Biden wrote yesterday. “I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.”

Evidence suggests the president’s son was involved in sex trafficking, money laundering, operating as an unregistered foreign agent, and peddling influence overseas from Ukraine to China. But he only pled guilty to tax charges (with a maximum sentence of 17 years) and was convicted of gun charges (with a maximum sentence of 25 years). When Hunter pled guilty to the tax charges, contributors for The Federalist predicted that Biden would pardon his son after this month’s election. 

This has since come true. Biden pardoned Hunter for charges “including but not limited to” those he faced in court, namely any “offenses against the United States which he has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024.” The first two years of this window overlap with Biden’s time as vice president, during which Hunter engaged in a pay-to-play scheme — involving the current president — with Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma.

Biden has rendered Hunter, the family broker for corrupt overseas deals, immune for his actions during the nearly 11 years from 2014 to 2024. This is a broader pardon than President Gerald Ford gave to former President Richard Nixon, which Biden vocally opposed at the time.

In doing this, the president — or likely one of his handlers — is trying to keep incriminating evidence from the light of day, so the family business can continue after his presidency. Since the Bidens have shown their preference for a lavish lifestyle, this blanket pardon secures the family business, and in turn, the family future.

The Family Business

Hunter peddled his influence with his father to make the shady overseas deals that enriched the Bidens. Hunter underreported at least $400,000 in payments from Burisma in 2014, according to an IRS whistleblower, and documents dated that same year — found in the president’s unauthorized storage — discussed U.S. energy assistance to Ukraine. Burisma’s founder said that “it costs 5 (million) to pay one Biden, and 5 (million) to another Biden.”

The president was also implicated in a crooked Chinese deal. Hunter attempted to get his way by threatening a Chinese businessman that Biden — the “man sitting next to me” — might “forever hold a grudge.” The president’s son also admitted earlier this year that Biden was the “big guy” referenced in an email about a deal with a Chinese energy firm, which brought in millions for the Biden family.

James Biden, the president’s brother, is another prominent figure in the influence-selling scheme. He and his wife were listed on the bank account of a company that took more than $1.3 million from Hunter’s company Owasco, as The Federalist previously reported. 

Chinese energy company CEFC gave $4.8 million to groups controlled by James and Hunter, The Washington Post reported in 2022. As The Federalist reported, James took $360,000 from the company. He, his wife, Sara, and Hunter spent more than $101,000 on credit cards opened by a CEFC official and Hunter.

Overall, the Biden family and their associates have taken more than $20 million in payments from foreign groups. As The Federalist previously reported, the foreign money reached at least nine members of the Biden family — including James, Sara, “at least one grandchild,” and a “couple of nieces and/or nephews.” Of course, the money also found Hunter — along with his ex-girlfriend (his brother Beau’s widow), his ex-wife, and his current wife. 

Insuring the Family Future

The Bidens have shown their willingness to compromise. They allegedly yielded to threats from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this summer, withdrawing the president’s bid for reelection after voters had already chosen him in the primary. There is no telling what other incentives were at play in this soft coup.

After this episode, the Biden family found itself no longer invincible, likely realizing the family’s future is not secure without further guarantees. If Hunter went to jail, it would jeopardize the entire family business model, placing the broker of these lucrative deals behind bars. With Hunter in jail, could the Bidens count on a cushy landing after the presidency, when they could no longer broker foreign deals by offering influence with the “big guy”? Likely not, which explains why Joe Biden used a presidential pardon to ensure the family stays in business for years to come.

Logan Washburn is a staff writer covering election integrity. He graduated from Hillsdale College, served as Christopher Rufo’s editorial assistant, and has bylines in The Wall Street Journal, The Tennessean, and The Daily Caller. Logan is originally from Central Oregon but now lives in rural Michigan.