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** Hunter Biden's Presidential Pardon
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In a sharp reversal, President Joe Biden on Dec. 1 issued a "full and unconditional" pardon for his son, Hunter.

The pardon covered Hunter Biden's recent tax crimes and gun conviction, as well as any potential crimes that Hunter may have committed over a nearly 11-year period.

Biden, who pledged ([link removed]) during his aborted reelection campaign not to pardon his son, has faced criticism from Republicans ([link removed]) and Democrats ([link removed]) alike for issuing the pardon.

Deputy Managing Editor Robert Farley fact-checked the president's statement outlining his reasons for the pardon. Rob found that Biden's statement ignored a few inconvenient facts.

The president claimed Hunter was “singled out” and “unfairly” prosecuted “only because he is my son,” and he blamed his “political opponents in Congress” for the “selective prosecution.” But multiple judges rejected that argument, saying there was no clear evidence of it.

President Biden also said others “who were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions, but paid them back subsequently with interest and penalties, are typically given non-criminal resolutions,” arguing that “Hunter was treated differently.” But prosecutors say Hunter Biden continued to commit tax crimes even after he was sober.

Read the full story, "What Biden Left Out of Pardon Statement ([link removed]) ."
FUNDRAISING UPDATE
In the first two days of our annual fundraising drive, we received 96 contributions and nearly $5,500. If you would like to join our fight against misinformation, you can make a credit card donation online ([link removed]) or mail a check to FactCheck.org, Annenberg Public Policy Center, 202 S. 36th St., Philadelphia, PA 19104-3806. Checks can be made payable to “The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania” with a note in the memo field indicating the donation is for FactCheck.org. Read more ([link removed]) .
FEATURED FACT
Prior to receiving a pardon from his father, Hunter Biden faced a maximum of 25 years in prison for the gun charges and 17 years for the tax offenses, although the New York Times reported that it was unlikely that Hunter Biden would receive such lengthy sentences. Sentencing on the gun-related conviction was scheduled for Dec. 12, while sentencing in the tax case was set for Dec. 16. Hunter Biden was the first child of a U.S. president to receive a pardon. Read more ([link removed]) .
WORTHY OF NOTE
Madre Tierra -- a Philadelphia-based organization that advocates gender equality for those who speak Spanish -- interviewed FactCheck.org Staff Writer Catalina Jaramillo for an article on social media misinformation.

Catalina, who is bilingual, has been primarily responsible for our Spanish-language content ([link removed]) , which we have been publishing since late 2020.

In the article, Catalina and Rafael Olavarría ([link removed]) , a staff writer at Factchequeado, offer tips on how social media users can avoid spreading misinformation. The fact-checkers suggest that you be skeptical of the information on social media and only share information that you know is accurate.

Read the story -- in English ([link removed]) or Spanish ([link removed]) -- for more information on how to combat social media misinformation. There is also a Spanish-language video available on Instagram ([link removed]) and YouTube ([link removed]) .
REPLY ALL

Reader: Can one say President-elect [Donald] Trump won the election by an "overwhelming majority of our nation"?

FactCheck.org Director Eugene Kiely: By objective measures, Trump did not win by an "overwhelming majority of our nation."

As we have written ([link removed]) , Trump won by a plurality of votes – that is, he received more votes than any other candidate. But based on the unofficial vote totals to date, Trump did not win a majority of the votes. As of Dec. 5 ([link removed]) , he had 49.9% of the vote, and Vice President Kamala Harris had 48.3% of the vote, with the rest going to minor candidates.

As for electoral votes, Trump received 312 votes and Harris got 226 – a difference of 86 electoral votes. That is the largest margin of victory since 2012, when President Barack Obama won 332 electoral votes and Mitt Romney received 206 – a difference of 126 electoral votes. In the post-World War II era, from 1948 through 2024, there have been 20 presidential elections, and Trump’s electoral margin of victory ranks 14th. The average electoral margin of victory during that time was 216, and the median was 159. (The data can be found on the National Archives website ([link removed]) .)

Having said all that, the Republicans, of course, swept the White House and Congress.


** Wrapping Up
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Here's what else we've got for you this week:
* "Our Annual Fundraising Appeal ([link removed]) ": With your support, we can continue to hold politicians of both parties accountable for what they say and do.
* "Trump Won the Popular Vote, Contrary to Claims Online ([link removed]) ": President-elect Donald Trump is the first Republican presidential candidate to win the popular vote in 20 years. Social media users have wrongly claimed that Trump lost the popular vote, but they are confusing the popular vote with a majority of votes. The unofficial results show Trump received slightly less than a majority, but more votes than any candidate.
* "Viral Claim Falsely Suggests Trump Ended Violence in Gaza ([link removed]) ": Attacks by Israeli forces and Hamas continue to kill or displace people in the Gaza Strip. But social media posts misleadingly claim Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election led Hamas to call for an end to the war in Gaza. Hamas has called for a ceasefire several times before the election. And the violence has continued since Election Day.
* "No Evidence Musk Threatened to Ban X Users Celebrating Hunter Biden’s Pardon ([link removed]) ": Elon Musk trolled President Joe Biden on X after Hunter Biden’s pardon, sharing a community note mocking the president’s previous post that said, “No one is above the law.” Soon after, a Threads post falsely claimed Musk threatened “anyone glorifying” the pardon “will be suspended from X permanently.” There’s no evidence Musk made such a statement.

Y lo que publicamos en español ([link removed]) (English versions are accessible in each story):
* "La agenda de Trump: Deportaciones ([link removed]) ": En la campaña electoral, el presidente electo Donald Trump prometió repetidamente iniciar “el programa de deportación más grande en la historia de Estados Unidos”. Cómo planea llevarlo a cabo exactamente y cuántas personas tiene la intención de deportar finalmente, sigue siendo incierto.
* "Publicaciones cuestionan falsamente el estatus de ciudadanía de Barron Trump ([link removed]) ": El presidente electo Donald Trump ha pedido una interpretación de la 14ª Enmienda que negaría la ciudadanía a los niños nacidos en EE. UU. de padres que se encuentran en el país ilegalmente. Esto ha llevado a algunos en las redes sociales a especular erróneamente que, bajo tal política, el hijo de Trump, Barron, podría no ser ciudadano estadounidense porque su madre no era ciudadana cuando él nació en Nueva York.

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