WASHINGTON — US President Joe Biden has pardoned his son, Hunter, sparing him a possible prison sentence for federal gun and tax convictions and reversing his past promises not to use the powers of the presidency for the benefit of his family members.

The Democratic president had previously said he would not pardon his son or commute his sentence after his convictions in the two cases in Delaware and California.

The move comes weeks before Hunter Biden was set to receive his punishment after his trial conviction in the gun case and guilty plea on tax charges and less than two months before President-elect Donald Trump is set to return to the White House.

It caps a long-running legal saga for the younger Biden, who publicly disclosed he was under federal investigation in December 2020 - a month after his father's election victory - and casts a shadow over the elder Biden's legacy.

Biden, who repeatedly pledged that he would restore norms and respect for the rule of law after Trump's first term in office, ultimately used his position to help his son, breaking his public pledge to Americans that he would do no such thing.

In June, Biden categorically ruled out a pardon or commutation for his son, telling reporters as his son faced trial in the Delware gun case, "I abide by the jury decision. I will do that and I will not pardon him."

As recently as 8 November, days after Trump's election win, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre ruled out a pardon or clemency for Hunter Biden, saying, "We've been asked that question multiple times. Our answer stands, which is no."

In a statement released on Sunday evening, Biden said, "Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter," alleging that the prosecution of his son was politically motivated and a "miscarriage of justice."

"The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election," Biden said.

"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."

Hunter Biden was convicted in June in Delaware federal court of three felonies for purchasing a gun in 2018 when, prosecutors said, he lied on a federal form by claiming he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs.

He was set to stand trial in September in the California case accusing him of failing to pay at least $1.4 million (€1.3 million) in taxes.

But he agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanour and felony charges in a surprise move hours after jury selection was set to begin.

Hunter Biden said he was pleading guilty in that case to spare his family more pain and embarrassment after the gun trial aired salacious details about his struggles with a crack cocaine addiction.

The tax charges carry up to 17 years behind bars and the gun charges are punishable by up to 25 years in prison, though federal sentencing guidelines were expected to call for far less time and it was possible he would avoid prison time entirely.

The sweeping presidential pardon covers not just those offences, but also any other "offences 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."

Hunter Biden said in an emailed statement that he will never take for granted the relief granted to him and vowed to devote the life he has rebuilt "to helping those who are still sick and suffering."

"I have admitted and taken responsibility for my mistakes during the darkest days of my addiction – mistakes that have been exploited to publicly humiliate and shame me and my family for political sport," he said. — Euronews