Days later, I'm still seething that President Biden granted a “full and unconditional” pardon to his troubled surviving son.
And yet I grudgingly have to say that I would have done the same thing without some of the self-pitying and misleading passages in Biden's official journal opinion.
Opinion columnist
Jackie Calmes
Jackie Calmes takes a critical look at the national political scene. She has decades of experience covering the White House and Congress.
First, the bad stuff. With the pardon of Hunter Biden, who had pleaded guilty tax evasion and was separate convicted of lying When Joe Biden spoke about his drug addiction and a history of gun use, he put his family above fidelity to the invigorating promise of his presidency: to restore prevailing norms and the rule of law after both were shredded by his predecessor, Donald Trump. Biden, who is different was stingy Using the powerful presidential power of the Constitution, his act of nepotism adds to the pile of rancid pardons that modern presidents of both parties, including Trump's first term, have amassed Grants to a sneering family member, dirty allies, donors and war criminals.
In Biden's statement justifying his exemption card for Hunter, he repeated Trump's rants about a weaponized justice system. This alone contributes to many Americans losing trust in their own institutions and to Trump's false claims of being a victim. However, Hunter Biden's name explains why he was charged with gun possession and taxes Most Americans would not be similarly prosecuted – like even Republicans have recognized – There is a downside: Hunter used this name to spread his supposed influence worldwide. However, despite years of investigations by the government and House Republicans, he was not indicted for these dealings.
The most important reason to oppose the pardon is this: Joe Biden lied to us.
The man who likes to do it say “I give you my word as Biden” broke it here and betrayed itself and us. He did not have to make the “no pardon” pledge nor allow his spokeswoman to do so as recently as last month. He could have avoided the question.
Instead, then-candidate Biden said in June that he would “abide by the decision of the jury” that had just convicted Hunter of the gun lie. Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre assured reporters the following month that a pardon was “still a no.” It will be a no.” And last month, after Trump's election and in the run-up to Hunter Biden's scheduled December 16 sentencing, Jean-Pierre stressed: “Our answer remains, which is no.”
So Joe deserves the bipartisan backlash he's getting. But how about a backlash to the backlash? For me, there is one consideration that transcends all others – the pun is to excuse the president: the deplorable Trump is on the verge of taking back power.
Had any other Republican been elected in the 2024 mix — say Nikki Haley or Tim Scott, even Ron DeSanctimonious — there would be no justification for it Acquit Hunter. But these Republicans weren't elected, Trump was, and he is the vengeful former and future president who praised last year to “appoint a real special prosecutor to prosecute the most corrupt president in the history of the United States of America, Joe Biden, and the entire Biden crime family.”
Given such explicit threats and the fact that Trump attempted to politicize the Justice Department and FBI in his first term, Why would Biden abandon his son to Trump's non-existent mercy? Especially when Trump showed through his selection willing enforcers for his new government, how serious he is about retaliation.
President-elect's first choice for attorney general, attack dog and former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, fell under the weight of his own legal troubles. Then Trump turned to the former Florida attorney. Gen. Pam Bondi, a long-time loyalist who explicitly did so called for revenge against those blamed for Trump's legal troubles: “The Justice Department, the prosecutors will be prosecuted. … The investigators are being investigated.”
And on Saturday Trump tapped MAGA henchman Kash Patel becomes FBI director. Patel's credentials? Last year he produced a literal Enemy list for Trump and separately said He would prosecute Hunter Biden as a foreign agent, not to mention previous investigations that went nowhere.
As former federal prosecutor and law professor Joyce Vance wrote Recently, as justification for pardoning Hunter Biden, Trump as president could have made Hunter Biden's life in federal prison “extremely difficult.”
And a Trump Justice Department could have redoubled efforts to prosecute him for foreign dealings dating back to his father's time as vice president, as Patel has suggested. The pardon prevents a real witch hunt.
President Biden has time to make up for the almost unforgivable pardon. He could support an attempt to amend the Constitution to repeal or at least reform the president's unchecked pardon power, even if it is a pipe dream.
Better yet — because this is possible by January 20 — Biden could put his aides to work on a long list of pardons for unknown Americans who have been truly wronged by the justice system and deserve clemency. This pattern of presidents smearing the office while leaving it with clemency for their associates should end, even if the power of pardon continues.