President Joe Biden and his family discussed whether to pardon Hunter Biden during their time together on Nantucket over Thanksgiving, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to ABC News on Monday.

Senior White House officials learned of the possibility of a pardon on Saturday evening. President Biden made his final decision on Sunday, the source said.

Biden did not answer questions on the topic as he left late Sunday for a three-day trip to Africa.

Hunter Biden, the president’s only surviving son, was convicted of federal gun charges in June and pleaded guilty to nine tax crimes in September. He faced significant prison sentences in both cases and was scheduled to be sentenced in both cases later this month.

President Biden had long said he would not pardon his son, including in an interview with ABC’s David Muir as Hunter Biden’s firearms trial was underway last summer.

In his statement Sunday night, Biden claimed his son was “unfairly” prosecuted due to pressure from his political opponents.

“Throughout my career, I have followed one simple principle: Just tell the American people the truth. They will be fair. Here’s the truth: I believe in the justice system, but as I’ve wrestled with it, I also believe.” Crude politics has infected this process and led to a miscarriage of justice – and after I made that decision this weekend, there was no point to delay it further,” President Biden said.

Hunter Biden, his wife Melissa Cohen Biden and their son Beau, and Ashley Biden spent Thanksgiving in Nantucket with President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.

“I hope Americans will understand why a father and a president come to this decision,” the president added.

Republicans, including President-elect Donald Trump, pounced on the reversal.

Republicans in Congress spent years investigating the Biden family, including Hunter Biden, over their business dealings. House Republicans released an impeachment report in August full of allegations, many of them directed at Hunter Biden, but no recommendations on specific articles of impeachment and no evidence that President Biden himself was directly involved in allegedly improper activities.

It’s not clear whether Republicans will continue their investigation after President Biden leaves office in January.

House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday criticized the pardon, which dates back to 2014.

“President Biden often insisted that he would never pardon his own son for his serious crimes. But last night he suddenly granted a ‘full and unconditional pardon’ for all crimes Hunter had committed for more than a decade!” Johnson wrote on damaged. Real reform cannot begin soon enough!”