Greg Stanton, Democrat representative of Arizona, posted on X: "I respect President Biden, but I think he got this one wrong. This wasn’t a politically-motivated prosecution. Hunter committed felonies, and was convicted by a jury of his peers."

Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to nine tax violations in September and was convicted in a separate case on felony firearms-related charges. He could have faced decades in prison, though his upcoming sentencing was likely to be a much less severe punishment.

The president’s spokesperson on Monday offered little explanation as to why the president changed his mind, but said he maintained faith in the justice system.