On Sunday, President Joe Biden announced that he had granted a “full and unconditional” pardon to his son, Hunter Biden. This announcement wiped away one conviction for Hunter Biden and extricated him from other legal troubles. It also contradicted past statements by the president that he would not issue such a pardon.
I should state up front that the president’s pardon of his son resides perfectly within his presidential authority. The Constitution gives the president alone this power. He does not need to receive approval from anyone else to give it. The pardon can be for past convictions or current investigations. The Constitution gives no exceptions to the president’s pardoning power save one: A president cannot pardon an impeachment conviction.
