Was the Trump administration going to pursue Hunter Biden? There were clues

President Joe Biden's sweeping pardon of Hunter Biden may have spared the president's son further criminal investigations, based on the threats and allegations from President-elect Donald Trump and his top law enforcement nominees.

Trump has threatened to go after "the entire Biden crime family" while his nominees have alleged Hunter committed crimes beyond his past criminal convictions and is more generally guilty of "corruption."

Some of his future nominees echoed that message. Kristi Noem, Trump's pick to lead the Homeland Security Department, said on Newsmax in June that Hunter Biden's gun-related convictions were "the least of all his crimes."

Biden issued a pardon Sunday that not only freed Hunter from sentencing following his federal convictions on gun and tax charges, but also blocked future federal prosecutions for anything Hunter did between Jan. 1, 2014 and Sunday. That includes the period of Hunter's foreign business dealings that has prompted Republican congressional investigations. Those investigations have not produced evidence of Biden receiving payments for his son's business deals, or led to any additional criminal charges against Hunter.

The president justified the pardon Sunday by suggesting Hunter Biden was treated more harshly than other defendants because of political pressure from Republicans.

But critics said the pardon undermined Democrats' claims to uphold the rule of law.

Asked for comment on statements on Hunter Biden by Trump's nominees, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said Trump's criminal cases have shown prosecutors "are guilty of weaponizing the justice system." Trump has faced two federal cases, a Georgia case, and a New York case dealing with his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, his handling of classified documents, and a hush money payment meant to influence the 2016 election.

"That system of justice must be fixed and due process must be restored for all Americans, which is exactly what President Trump will do as he returns to the White House with an overwhelming mandate from the American people," Cheung said.

Abbe Lowell, a lawyer for Hunter Biden, didn't respond to a request for comment.

Here's a look at the investigations into Hunter Biden and what Trump and his picks for top law enforcement positions have said:

President-elect Donald Trump

Donald Trump has appeared to threaten Hunter Biden with prosecution.

In June of 2023, after being indicted on federal charges that he mishandled classified documents, Trump said he planned to appoint a special prosecutor to go after Joe Biden "and the entire Biden crime family," the New York Times reported.

This fall, Trump circulated an image on Truth Social depicting Hunter Biden and others – including Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris – in jumpsuits.

Kash Patel, Trump FBI nominee

Kash Patel, Trump's nominee to lead the FBI, has previously argued that Hunter Biden "is guilty of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act," which requires certain types of foreign agents to disclose their relationship with a foreign actor through registration with the U.S. government.

Patel made the comment in a Just the News video clip that was posted on X by Ron Filipkowski, the editor-in-chief of MeidasTouch Network.

Patel alleged that Hunter Biden was required to register as a result of his foreign business dealings.

Pam Bondi, Trump attorney general nominee

Hunter Biden has also been a significant focus for Trump's pick to lead the Justice Department, Pam Bondi. A 30-minute presentation she gave as one of Trump's defense lawyers in his first impeachment trial focused entirely on Hunter Biden.

Trump was impeached by the House on the charge of abusing his power in 2019 by withholding military aid and an invitation to the White House in order to pressure Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden. He was acquitted by the Senate after the trial in which Bondi represented Trump. Bondi argued that Hunter's appointment to the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma, which was facing corruption allegations, created "a basis" for Trump to "raise this issue" with Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky.

Bondi doubled down on her attacks against Hunter at the 2020 Republican National Convention, alleging he was involved in "corruption" tied to his father when it came to not just Burisma, but also Chinese business dealings.

In June, Bondi again discussed Hunter in an interview on Fox News, alleging that information on Hunter's laptop showed Joe Biden had ties to his son's business dealings.

House investigations never documented Joe Biden receiving payments from Hunter's business deals, although House Republicans argued Hunter was using his father's name to promote himself and his deals.

Kristi Noem, Trump Homeland Security Secretary nominee

Kristi Noem, who is Trump's nominee to lead the Homeland Security Department, said on Newsmax in June that Hunter Biden's gun-related convictions that month were "the least of all his crimes."

Noem said she believed Joe Biden would also face exposure from evidence on his son's laptop and "future trials ... should be brought forward and completed."

In an interview segment on "The Sean Hannity Show" that same month, Noem said Hunter Biden, his father, other relatives, government agencies, and prosecutors should all "be held accountable."

"This is hundreds of people, I believe, that have partaken in the corruption that the Biden family has been engaged in, and they all need to be held accountable. Absolutely every one of them," Noem said.

Hunter Biden-related investigations

Hunter Biden was found guilty by a unanimous 12-person jury in June of lying about his drug use to get a gun and illegally possessing that gun. He also pleaded guilty to a mixture of felony and misdemeanor tax charges in September. Before accepting his pardon Sunday, Hunter was scheduled to be sentenced for his convictions in those two cases in separate December proceedings. He faced up to 25 years in prison in the gun case and up to 17 years in the tax case, although a typical sentence would be less and he might not have been given jail or prison time at all.

Investigations into Hunter Biden have stretched farther.

Republican-led House committees released a report in August concluding that Biden relatives, including Hunter, received $27 million from foreign entities dating back to 2014, when Joe Biden was vice president. Some of Hunter's income came from his appointment to the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma. Hunter previously told ABC News he probably would not have been appointed to that role had his last name not been "Biden."

Hunter routinely put his father on speakerphone when he met with foreign business associates tied to Ukraine, China, Russia, and elsewhere, the report concluded. Some witnesses have testified that such conversations were simply pleasantry exchanges or were about the weather.

The report didn't accuse Hunter of criminal conduct involving the business dealings, but those dealings have still provided fodder for Trump allies who have suggested Hunter may have engaged in criminal conduct beyond his gun and tax convictions.

The Republican-led House Ways and Means Committee also accused Hunter Biden in May of lying under oath to Congress about his foreign business dealings, which – if true – would be a crime.

Contributing: Bart Jansen

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Were Trump, nominees planning to target Hunter Biden? There were clues