Trump wasn’t impeached for trying to probe Hunter Biden’s crimes. That’s a mischaracterization.

On Dec. 1, after months of telling reporters he wouldn’t do it, President Joe Biden said he was pardoning his son, Hunter.

Some social media users sought to connect the pardon and the reason President-elect Donald Trump was impeached during his first term.

"Want your head to explode?" a Dec. 4 screenshot on Instagram read. "Trump was impeached for trying to investigate all the crimes that Joe Biden just pardoned Hunter over."

Dinesh D’Souza, who made the debunked 2022 movie "2,000 Mules," shared the claim on Instagram. D’Souza received a presidential pardon from Trump in 2018.

(Screenshot from Instagram)

The post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

The facts behind Trump’s impeachments and Hunter Biden’s pardon show the post is wrong. 

Trump was twice impeached by the House and twice acquitted by the Senate. In 2019, he was impeached for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. In 2021, he was impeached for his actions related to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots.

The 2019 impeachment involved two articles. The first one focused on Trump’s actions pressuring a leader of a foreign nation, Ukraine, to investigate the Bidens — his political opponents — to aid his election. He did so by withholding military aid and denying a White House visit.

Featured Fact-check

Social Media

stated on December 9, 2024 in in social media posts

Substack article shows manifesto of Luigi Mangione, the suspect in health care executive's killing.

The second focused on Trump ordering executive branch government agencies, offices and officials not to cooperate with Congress’ impeachment inquiry.

The president pardoned Hunter Biden for offenses he "committed or may have committed or taken part in" from Jan. 1, 2014, through Dec. 1. In the spring of 2014, Hunter Biden joined the board of directors of Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma Holdings. 

Trump and his allies had been critical of his involvement in the company, but a September 2020 report from Senate Republicans said "the extent to which Hunter Biden’s role on Burisma’s board affected U.S. policy toward Ukraine is not clear." There were no indications that related charges were forthcoming.

After the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riots, the House impeached Trump for a second time. The article charged Trump with inciting an insurrection, with his speech to his supporters, who later stormed the Capitol. The Senate rejected the article of impeachment, acquitting Trump.

In June, a jury convicted Hunter Biden of three charges — for making a false statement while making a firearm purchase, making a false statement to a federal licensed firearms dealer and possession of a firearm while unlawfully using a controlled substance. 

In September, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to three felony tax offenses and six misdemeanor tax offenses. The indictment focused on taxes Hunter Biden owed from 2016 through 2019; he faced charges for failure to pay, failure to file, tax evasion and filing a false return. He awaited a scheduled Dec. 16 sentencing.

Trump was not impeached for "trying to investigate" Hunter Biden’s alleged crimes. We rate that claim False. ​

Editor’s note, Dec. 9, 2024: This fact-check has been updated to include that Hunter Biden was pardoned for offenses he may have committed starting in 2014, when he joined the board of a Ukrainian gas company. The rating is unchanged. 

RELATED: Joe Biden's Full Flop on pardoning Hunter Biden after saying for months he wouldn't