As his term draws to a close, US President Joe Biden issued a sweeping pardon Sunday for his son Hunter Biden, covering multiple federal criminal charges including tax evasion and firearms violations.

Previously, Biden and his staff had stated unequivocally that the president did not plan to pardon his son.

The pardon is expansive in scope, extending to all federal offenses “which he has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024,” according to a White House statement.

In explaining his decision, President Biden acknowledged the unusual nature of pardoning a family member but argued his son had been “selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted.” The President pointed to what he characterized as unusual prosecutorial decisions in both the firearm and tax cases, suggesting that similar cases typically result in less severe consequences.

Hunter Biden, 54, had recently pleaded guilty to failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes between 2016 and 2019. He was also convicted on federal gun charges in Delaware earlier this year. Both cases were related to a period of documented substance abuse, which Hunter Biden detailed in his 2021 memoir.

The decision effectively ends all federal prosecutions of Hunter Biden, though any potential state charges would not be affected by the presidential pardon.

Though rare, a presidential pardon of a family member is not unprecedented. Immediately prior to leaving office in 2001, former US President Bill Clinton pardoned his brother, Roger, of federal drug charges.

This is a developing story.