Judge Asked to Keep Record of Hunter Biden’s Tax Charges Despite Presidential Pardon

In a notable legal development, Special Counsel David Weiss has asked a California federal judge not to dismiss tax charges against Hunter Biden, even after a presidential pardon was issued by President Joe Biden. Instead of dropping the charges entirely, Weiss recommends closing the case while keeping the court record intact to reflect the course of legal proceedings.

The presidential pardon, which spans a decade—from January 1, 2014, to December 1, 2024—includes a broad range of offenses. These include Hunter Biden’s recent convictions on nine counts of failing to pay more than $1.4 million in federal taxes between 2016 and 2019. The pardon also covers a separate conviction for making false statements during a firearm purchase, where he denied illegal drug use at the time.

Without the pardon, Hunter Biden faced up to 17 years in prison for the tax-related charges alone.