In September 2024, Hunter pleaded guilty to nine federal tax charges, involving failure to pay taxes (2016–2019). He initially proposed an “Alford plea” (which lets someone plead guilty without admitting wrongdoing), but prosecutors rejected that. He was convicted in June 2024 on three felony counts related to falsely stating he was drug-free when purchasing a firearm in 2018. In December 2024, President Joe Biden issued a full and unconditional pardon for his son, covering alleged offenses from January 1, 2014 to December 1, 2024. The show of force began with first lady Jill Biden taking a seat in the courtroom behind her son each day until leaving late Wednesday afternoon to travel to France to attend a D-Day commemoration ceremony with her husband.
The first lady then left less than 24 hours later to return to Wilmington ahead of her son’s trial resuming on Friday, and she’s scheduled to return to Paris on Saturday for a state visit. The whirlwind transatlantic shuttling underscores the family’s concern about the toll that the trial — the first of two for Hunter scheduled this year — could take. While in France, the president and first lady frequently asked aides for updates on the trial in between official events, according to a person familiar with the requests.
