Hunter Biden. Fighting addiction and family drama

President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden. In June, the president's son USA was found guilty of illegal possession of weapons. Three months later, 54 years old He pleaded guilty to the charges brought against him for failing to pay taxes. Prosecutors alleged that he failed to pay at least $1.4 million in federal taxes between 2016 and 2019 while leading an “extravagant lifestyle.” The US president's son faced up to 17 years in prison or a fine of up to $1.3 million for tax crimes and up to 25 years in prison for lying on a gun application.

Explaining the decision to pardon my son – made despite repeated attempts assurances that he will not do it – Joe Biden stated that “no reasonable person who looks at the facts in the Hunter case could come to a conclusion other than that Hunter was persecuted simply because he is his son.” Hunter himself addressed the matter in a statement released on Sunday, admitting that he had made many mistakes while “in the grips of addiction”. He also declared that he would not take the pardon “for granted” and would devote “the life he rebuilt” to helping others.

SEE ALSO: Hunter Biden released a statement following his pardon

The media recalls the life story of the president's son, full of both personal dramas and scandals. Hunter Biden has struggled for years with addiction to psychoactive substances and trauma caused by tragedies in his personal life. In his biography published in 2021, he wrote about himself that he “comes from a family born of tragedy.”

Born in 1970, he experienced his first tragedy at the age of two, when he lost his mother and younger, 13-month-old sister in a car accident. The collision occurred on December 18, 1972, when the family was going to buy a Christmas tree for Christmas. Hunter was taken to hospital with a fractured skull. His older brother Beau was also injured.

The boys' condition was so serious that Joe Biden, elected senator of Delaware in November 1972, officially took the oath of office at his sons' hospital bedsides. Over the next few years, he shuttled between Washington and Delaware to pursue his career while taking care of his children. Initially, his sister Valerie supported him in caring for the several-year-old children. In June 1977, Joe Biden remarried. Jill Biden she became the stepmother of his sons.

SEE ALSO: Joe Biden celebrated the 50th anniversary of the tragic death of his wife and daughter

As a teenager, the son of the future US president started drinking alcohol. While attending Georgetown University and Yale University Law School, he had already admitted to abusing hard drugs. He went through rehab many times.

At the age of 23, Hunter Biden met his first wife, Kathleen Buhle, who supported him in his fight against addiction for years. They have three daughters. However, the couple separated in 2015 and officially divorced two years later. In 2015, the president's son also experienced another loss. After losing his battle with brain cancer, his older brother Beau died at the age of only 46. Hunter Biden later admitted that this was when he became most addicted to stimulants.

During the divorce hearing, Kathleen Buhle accused him of “spending lavishly on his own pleasures,” such as alcohol, prostitutes, strip clubs and gifts for other women, while “leaving the family without the means to pay the bills.” Biden himself admitted that his infidelity was the ultimate reason for ending the relationship. Before his divorce from Buhle was finalized, he began dating Hallie Biden, his brother Beau's widow. In an interview with The New Yorker magazine, he admitted that he and his former sister-in-law were united by a common and “very special” mourning.

The couple dated for over two years. In the meantime, Hunter Biden also met Lunden Roberts, twenty years his junior. In his biography, the 54-year-old said he had “no memory” of dating her, but a DNA test later showed that he is the father of her child.

In May 2019, just a week after they met, Hunter Biden married South African director Melissa Cohen. Less than a year later, the couple welcomed a son into the world. The boy was named Beau Jr. in honor of his deceased uncle. Biden claims that thanks to his relationship with Cohen, he has been sober for years. He is also supposed to be helped by something discovered four years ago passion for painting and family support.

SEE ALSO: “The story of my relationship with my father is a story of unconditional love.” Interview with Hunter Biden