Transcript of President Biden issues pardon for son Hunter Biden

This is an ABC News special report.

Good evening, everyone. I'm Lindsay Davis at ABC News headquarters here in New York. We're coming on the air this hour with breaking news. President Biden has just pardoned his son, Hunter, on gun and tax charges that he was facing. The President reversed his previous position. He had long said that he would not pardon Hunter, expressing faith in the justice system and the rule of law. President Biden was emphatic, telling our David Muir this summer that he would not pardon his son when he was directly asked. And press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, told reporters on Monday that the President had spoken on the issue. Abc's Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Carl joins us now on the phone. And, John, does this come as a surprise to you?

Lindsay, frankly, it doesn't come as a surprise to me. I know President Biden, as you said, was emphatic when he told David Miro that he would not pardon his son, Hunter, the White House Press Secretary, Carine Jean-Pierre, was asked this many times over the following several months after that interview, and she reiterated that a pardon was off the table. But look, this is the President's son. It comes on the day after that Donald Trump has announced that Cash Patel would be his FBI director, a move that signaled that Donald Trump's administration would be taking seriously the idea of retribution on his political enemies. I don't think that there will be many people, Democrats, Republicans, Americans, that are surprised that Joe Biden decided that his son, facing these two separate investigations, two separate trials, two separate convictions, would decide that he would pardon his son at this point.

What punishment would Hunter have faced had his dad not pardoned him?

He faced the possibility of significant jail time. I mean, these were both serious charges. The tax trial out in California, the gun charges in Delaware, both faced the possibility of sentences, and he was facing sentencing later this month. Both could have resulted in jail time. And look, Joe Biden, his son Hunter, is somebody who is a recovering drug addict. The idea of serving time in prison could well have been a death sentence to him. This was know that Joe Biden has said at times that he lost one of his sons, he lost Bo to brain cancer, and he has confided to people, I'll be damned if I'm going to lose another one.