Washington, 2 December 2024 (dpa/MIA) - US President Joe Biden on Sunday said he has pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, despite previously promising he would not do so.

The president's 54-year-old son had pleaded guilty to federal tax charges after being found guilty of charges relating to gun possession and drug use in two separate trials. The sentences were to be announced later in December.

The US president said that, while he had promised he wouldn't interfere with decisions by the Department of Justice, "It is clear that Hunter was treated differently."

"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," the older Biden said in a statement released by the White House.

"Then, a carefully negotiated plea deal, agreed to by the Department of Justice, unraveled in the court room – with a number of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure on the process. Had the plea deal held, it would have been a fair, reasonable resolution of Hunter's cases.

"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," continued the US president.

Biden had said several times that he would not pardon his son. His term in office ends when power is handed over to President-elect Donald Trump on January 20.

Hunter Biden's legal problems also weighed on his father politically during the election campaign.

Biden was originally set to be the Democrats' candidate for the White House, but withdrew from the race after a disastrous performance in a televised debate against Trump. He was eventually replaced by his vice president, Kamala Harris, who was defeated by Trump in the November election.