President Joe Biden issued a full and unconditional pardon for his son Hunter Biden Sunday who had been facing criminal convictions in California and Delaware on gun and tax charges—which could have resulted in a prison sentence.

The White House has defended President Joe Biden's pardon of his son, Hunter, after repeatedly insisting he had no plans for such executive clemency. The press secretary said Biden had pardoned his son, who was facing sentencing later this month in two federal cases, to shield him from persecution by the outgoing president's political foes.

The pardon comes weeks before President Biden leaves office and transfers power to President-elect Donald J. Trump, who spent years attacking Hunter Biden over his legal and personal issues.

Legal experts said President Joe Biden's pardon of son Hunter was broad and unusual for not specifying the crimes he was being shielded from.

Already reeling from their November defeat at the polls, Democrats now are grappling with President Joe Biden's pardoning of his son for a federal felony conviction after the party spent years slammin

President Joe Biden had long pledged that he would not pardon his son, Hunter, who was set to be sentenced this month for gun and tax convictions. But on Sunday, the president did it anyway. The sweeping pardon covers not only Hunter Biden’s convictions in two cases in Delaware and California,

Republicans called President Joe Biden a “liar” for pardoning his son, who was convicted on gun charges and pleaded guilty to tax fraud this summer. The decision comes after the president said that he would "abide by the jury's decision" in an interview ahead of his son's conviction in June,

U.S. President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden after repeatedly pledging not to. Below is a look at the circumstances leading up to the pardon and its legal consequences. WHAT DID THE PARDON COVER?