Following President Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter, AI appears to be the source of some posts that incorrectly claim former presidents also pardoned relatives.
On Dec. 2, 2024, President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden, who faced a potential prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions, after previously pledging he wouldn’t.
Following the controversial pardon, some people on social media argued that Biden’s pardon would not define his legacy because it did not define the legacy of other presidents they claimed pardoned their relatives. According to one post, President Jimmy Carter pardoned his brother Billy Carter and former President George H.W. Bush pardoned his son Neil Bush.
Other people shared related claims about presidents pardoning relatives. For example, this account with nearly 100,000 followers claimed Bush pardoned his son Neil and one of the replies to that post also named Billy Carter.
A VERIFY reader asked us if Bush and Carter really did pardon family members during their presidencies.