The president said he issued a pardon because his son was being unfairly targeted for political purposes. Here’s what to know about the pardon, the crimes and the reactions.

The gun case federal prosecutors brought against Hunter Biden was relatively rare, but the tax charges he pleaded guilty to may have been less unusual.

The pardon comes after Biden repeatedly said he would not use his executive authority to pardon his son or commute his son’s sentence. And in his statement, Biden said he was granting the pardon because his son had been “selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted.”

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden said on Sunday he had pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, reversing his earlier pledge to leave the legal proceedings entirely up to the judicial system. Hunter Biden had pleaded guilty to tax violations and was convicted on firearms-related charges and faced upcoming sentencing.

The White House said on Monday that President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter in part because of concern his political opponents would continue to persecute the younger Biden in the future, as a growing chorus of Democrats and Republicans criticized his decision.

Hunter Biden’s pardon is quickly becoming something of a third rail in the earliest stages of the 2028 presidential primary, with few ambitious Democrats showing any desire to touch it. Many of the governors and senators who are vying to become the future of the Democratic Party are declining to weigh in on Joe Biden’s last-minute,