The US Constitution provides that the president has 'wide power to pardon and suspend execution for crimes against the United States', but not unlimited, according to the BBC.
US President Joe Biden on December 1 issued a presidential pardon to his son Hunter Biden, who is facing a sentence for two criminal cases.
The pardon has been controversial, as Mr Biden has previously publicly pledged not to pardon or commute Mr Hunter's sentence, according to the BBC. However, President Biden has argued that the cases against his son were politically motivated.
US President Joe Biden welcomes his son Hunter Biden at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois (USA) on August 19.
Mr Biden's use of his pardon power continues a tradition of presidents on both sides of US politics pardoning people close to them, according to the BBC.
What is the US president's pardon power?
The US Constitution states that the president has "wide power to grant pardons and reprieves for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment," according to the BBC.
Amnesty represents legal forgiveness, ending any further punishment and restoring rights such as being able to vote or run for public office.
While the president's pardon power is considered broad, it is not unlimited. For example, the president can only issue pardons for federal crimes, according to the BBC.
That leaves a question mark over US President-elect Donald Trump's sentence in his New York hush money case. He will not be able to pardon himself in the state case when he returns to the White House next month, according to the BBC.
Hunter was convicted by a federal jury in Delaware in June of lying about using illegal drugs to buy a gun in 2018. In September, Hunter also pleaded guilty to nine federal tax charges.
After Hunter's pardon, judges overseeing his cases may cancel sentencing hearings, which were scheduled for December 12 for the gun case and December 16 for the tax case, according to CNN.
How many pardons have other US presidents issued?
There is a long history of US presidents on both sides of the political aisle issuing pardons, including to people close to them.
Hunter is the 26th person pardoned during the Biden presidency, a Democrat. Most of the others were for drug-related crimes, according to CBS.
In 2020, while still president, Trump (a Republican) pardoned Charles Kushner, the father-in-law of his daughter Ivanka Trump. Kushner was sentenced to two years in prison in 2004 for a number of crimes, including tax evasion.
In 2001, then-US President Bill Clinton pardoned his half-brother, Roger Clinton, for a cocaine-related conviction dating back to 1985.
In both cases, the pardons were granted to people who had already served their sentences. President Biden’s intervention in his son’s case came before sentencing.
According to the Pew Research Center, Mr. Trump has issued 237 clemency decisions in his four years in the White House, including 143 pardons and 94 sentence reductions.
That number is significantly lower than that of his predecessor, Barack Obama, who issued 1,927 clemency decisions during his eight-year term, including 1,715 commutations and 212 pardons.
One of the most controversial US presidential pardons was issued by Gerald Ford to his predecessor Richard Nixon in 1974. The pardon was described as an attempt to heal America, according to the BBC.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tong-thong-my-co-quyen-an-xa-den-muc-nao-185241203002001555.htm
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