Jill Biden Defends Husband Joe After He Pardoned Son Hunter: 'We Could Not Let Our Son Go to Jail'

Former first lady Jill Biden strongly defended her husband Joe Biden’s decision to pardon Hunter Biden, stating the family “just could not let our son go to jail.”

In a CBS Sunday Morning interview with Rita Braver, Jill, 74, opened up about the political and personal calculations behind the full executive pardon.

During the televised chat, she outlined several reasons why the family felt the sweeping pardon was justified, despite the former president’s repeated public promises he would not grant one.

The former FLOTUS explained Donald Trump's election victory changed everything.

The family became certain that the incoming Trump administration and a shifted Justice Department would go after Hunter, 56.

“When Trump was elected, things changed,” Jill said, “and we knew that he would target Hunter. And we just could not let our son go to jail on a charge that no one would go — I mean, no one has ever gone to jail for.”

In June 2024, Hunter was convicted of three felonies related to purchasing a revolver in 2018 while battling a drug addiction and falsifying the background check paperwork. In September 2024, he pleaded guilty to nine federal tax evasion charges.

Interestingly, while Donald has never been personally convicted of tax evasion, two subsidiaries of his company, the Trump Corporation and Trump Payroll Corp., were convicted of criminal tax fraud in 2022. The Trump Organization was found guilty of running a 15-year scheme that helped top executives dodge taxes on job perks.

Most recently, the DOJ signed an agreement permanently barring the IRS from auditing or pursuing past tax claims against the president, his sons, and his affiliated businesses and trusts. This addendum resolved a $10 billion lawsuit Donald filed against the IRS for leaking his returns, though it prompted intense political scrutiny.

When asked if she actively pressured her husband into reversing his stance, Jill clarified she "truly supported it": "I wanted him to pardon Hunter at that point, and I agreed with Joe.”

When questioned about why the 46th president took the historically rare step of issuing preemptive pardons to several other family members before leaving office, Jill offered the same rationale — because the former president believed they would also become political targets under the new administration.

The sweeping pardon, issued in late 2024, effectively wiped away Hunter's federal criminal record, which stemmed from two separate 2024 legal cases.

The pardon drew immense bipartisan criticism, but Jill’s public remarks emphasize that the family views the decision strictly as an act of protection against weaponized political prosecution.

Donald's most controversial pardons and commutations span both his first and second terms, frequently drawing backlash for prioritizing political loyalists, wealthy donors and convicted fraudsters over traditional DOJ standards.

On his first day back in office, the POTUS pardoned more than 1,500 individuals involved in the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack—including those who assaulted police officers. He also commuted the 18-year sentence of Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes and fully pardoned Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio.