Hunter Biden’s pardon by President Joe Biden worsened an involvement of politics and justice systems that have eroded the public’s confidence in American justice and is highly likely to deteriorate in Donald Trump’s second term. The decision to move on a Sunday evening was another dramatic step because Biden declared the pledge to protect the Justice Department’s independence from the interference that occurred under Trump during their first term and because he insisted that he would never pardon his son.
Now, weeks before Biden leaves the White House, he has used presidential power to pardon his son before the sentencing this month over two gun and tax convictions that were the result of due lawful process. This was capitalized on his decision coming just days after special counsel Jack Smith sought to dismiss the federal cases against Trump — for interfering with the electoral college vote and retaining classified documents —
On the basis that presidents cannot be prosecuted. ning move was a stunning development since Biden came to office vowing to restore the independence of the Justice Department, which had been eroded during Trump’s first term, and because he had repeatedly said he wouldn’t pardon his son.
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Now, weeks before he leaves the White House, Biden has wielded presidential power to absolve his son ahead of sentencings later this month over a pair of gun and tax convictions that emerged from the due process of law.
His decision came days after special counsel Jack Smith moved to dismiss the federal cases against Trump — over election interference and the hoarding of classified documents — because presidents can’t be prosecuted.
Altogether, the accumulation of legal issues usually provokes doubts regarding the foundation, which defines the system of justice in the United States as a country, where all people, including presidents and their families, are equal before the law.
Until Sunday, Biden had not interfered in the cases against his son and the White House said he would not, although the evolving political climate after Trump’s victory in the election last month seemed certain to alter this.
Massive political reverberations
In political terms, Biden’s reversal may shortly be viewed as a blemish on him and his administration. It forms part of an inglorious end for a presidency that unraveled with his catastrophic debate meltdown in June, and as much as it removed Trump from the White House four years ago, it will be remembered for paving the way for his return now.
The president may also have created an opportunity for Trump’s party to come out in support of Kash Patel, the loyalist that the president-elect chose on Saturday night to head the FBI and who seems to be a clear operative of his campaign of political vendetta. for opening the way for Trump’s return to the White House as evicting him four years ago.
The president may also have offered an opening for Trump’s party to rally behind Kash Patel, the loyalist whom the president-elect picked Saturday evening to lead the FBI and serve as an apparent agent of his campaign of political retribution.
For the record, there has been no evidence of any wrongdoing on the part of the president. One by House Republicans into Biden’s and his son’s business entanglements — which the Democrats deemed a poll politique meant to try the then-vice-president for possible predation in the coming election — did not even get off the gro`
The cases against Hunter Biden do not have the constitutional emergency or historical significance as the charges against Trump and his targeted barrage of the legal system. disastrous debate performance in June and that will now be remembered as much for opening the way for Trump’s return to the White House as evicting him four years ago.
The president may also have offered an opening for Trump’s party to rally behind Kash Patel, the loyalist whom the president-elect picked Saturday evening to lead the FBI and serve as an apparent agent of his campaign of political retribution.
There is no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the president. An impeachment inquiry by House Republicans that looked at Biden’s and his son’s business relationships — which Democrats saw as an attempt to inflict political damage ahead of the election — went nowhere. The cases against Hunter Biden lack the constitutional gravity or historical importance of the indictments against Trump and his frequent attacks on the rule of law.
But there are political implications of what went down on Sunday night that could go very deep.” Immediately, the Republicans are pointing to the Hunter Biden pardon as evidence of the fact that the incumbent president is most to blame for politicizing the system of justice to his and his family’s benefit. It may not be true, but you can win an election with such a slogan.
Trump employed pardons for several political assistants and associates during his first administration among them father-in-law to his daughter, whom he nominated for the ambassador to France position.t one, is most to blame for politicizing the system of justice by meting out favorable treatment to his son. Their claim may not be accurate, but it can still be politically effective.
Trump used pardons to protect multiple political aides and contacts during his first term, including his daughter’s father-in-law, who’s now his pick for ambassador to France. However, every time in the future that Trump will be accused of abusing pardon power he will be in a position to defend himself by pointing to Biden’s action of pardoning his relatives. This could be particularly crucial as Trump may face a push from his supporters in the coming months to free individuals who committed crimes linked to the storming of the US Capitol building in January this year many of whom are still in prison.
Biden, however, after a lifetime of loss and pain, called on Americans to consider a man who was concerned about how imprisonment might affect his young son, a drug addict in treatment. He was blamed for politicizing the system of justice by demanding favorable treatment for his son. Their claim may not be accurate, but it can still be politically effective.
Trump used pardons to protect multiple political aides and contacts during his first term, including his daughter’s father-in-law, who’s now his pick for ambassador to France. But any time in the future that Trump is criticized for his use of pardon power, he will be able to argue that Biden did the same to protect his kin.
This could be especially significant as Trump comes under pressure from supporters in the coming months to pardon those convicted of crimes related to the January 6, 2021, mob attack on the US Capitol — many of whom are still in jail.
Yet Biden, after a life of tragedies and heartache, asked Americans to judge him as a father who was worried about the impact of a potential jail term on his son, a recovering addict.
Trump and Biden now both argue that the Justice Department was politicized
Hunter Biden was found guilty of attempted purchase and possession of a firearm by a jury in June, in a trial that painted a picture of his substance abuse and home life. He pleaded guilty in September to nine counts of tax violations because he failed to remit $1.4 million worth of taxes while indulging in escorts, strippers, cars, and drugs.
That said, there is a certain element of truth to the president stating in his Sunday message that his son was being treated differently due to who his father is. Indeed, charges concerning the unauthorized possession of a firearm when one is under the influence of a controlled substance and a charge concerning making a false statement about the matter are very few, examples. And Republican congressional investigations of the matter, which fell apart because there was no evidence, appeared as shameful efforts to defeat the president.
“As I stated this morning there is no logical explanation for Hunter save this he is my son — and I resent the hell out of it,” Joe Biden said in the statement. “Of course, there has been an attempt at baiting Hunter — a man who is entirely sober, including from alcohol for five and a half years even when subjected to relentless attacks and selective prosecution. What they’ve done to Hunter is what they’ve done to me, and there is no reason to think it won’t continue now. Enough is enough.”
His statement is extraordinary because Biden is now arguing something rather similar to Trump — that his own Justice Department has been unfairly politicized. It seems Biden was talking about how the Hunter Biden probe was conducted by David Weiss, a Trump-nominated US attorney from Delaware who first looked into the president’s son and then was made a special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland.
But at the same time, Hunter Biden placed himself in a position that raised a political concern and obvious conflict of interest for his father. Moreover, his business in Ukraine and China during his father’s tenure as the vice president and afterward drew a lot of ethical concerns even though Republicans accused the current president of benefiting from the transactions but have not been able to present any proof.
It is notable, therefore, that Joe Biden’s pardon was for any activity by his son starting on January 1, 2014 — the year that Hunter Biden joined the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company — while his father, who was then vice president, was deeply involved in US policy toward Kyiv.
But of course, the pardon is another issue in its own right; perhaps it might not have occurred at all had it not been for the incredibly tense and unsettled political climate in which Trump was due to be inaugurated for his second term only at noon on January 20.
With Patel chosen to lead the FBI and Trump’s second choice for attorney general in Pam Bondi, it would be reasonable to expect that Hunter Biden might well have been one of those whom the president-elect’s loyalists would likely want to pursue, by their pledges to deal with the president’s foes.
And now that he’s acted to protect his son, Joe Biden may be pressured to use his pardon power to pardon not only his son but other people involved in the prosecution and campaigns against Trump including Trump’s campaign to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential elections.
The president-elect wasted no time on taking advantage of the situation in this comment which will create public expectation that the president-elect will soon pardon the convicts of January 6 crimes after he gets re-elected.
“Is the Pardon given by Joe liberating the J-6 Hostages who have been in prison for years now.” Trump wrote this on Truth Social on Sunday. “What an abuse and there we have miscarriage of justice for you!”
Trump’s Republican allies tried to use the situation to establish the prospects of Senate confirmation for some of Trump’s most contentious nominees. “Reminder to the Democrats: They can stop lecturing about the rule of law when, for instance, President Trump nominates Pam Bondi and Kash Patel to address this ‘corruption’,” tweeted Tom Cotton of Arkansas.
No moral high ground for Trump
However, that there is any moral mountain left for Trump to climb on — after issuing what appeared to be politically motivated pardons during his first term in office — is laughable. Only on Saturday, for instance, the president-elect stated that he appointed Charles Kushner whose daughter Ivanka is the president-elect’s daughter to be an ambassador to France. Trump had pardoned him for tax evasion, one count of retaliating against a federal witness — Kushner’s brother-in-law — and another count of lying to the Federal Election Commission.
He also granted pardons to other functionaries and people with connections to Trump’s family and his entourage, such as Roger Stone and Paul Manafort, the 2016 campaign chairman. The last such period of politicization occurred in 2016. It involved the FBI and Justice Department and its then-director James Comey giving new impetus to an investigation into Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s use of personal email just a week before the vote. as ambassador to Paris. Trump had pardoned him for tax evasion, one count of retaliating against a federal witness — Kushner’s brother-in-law — and another count of lying to the Federal Election Commission.
Trump also issued pardons to associates and people well connected with his family and inner circle, including longtime fixer Roger Stone and 2016 campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
The most recent cloud of politicization surrounding the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation dates to 2016 and then-FBI Director James Comey’s decision to reopen an investigation into Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server just days before the election. It extended Clinton’s hand too far and many Democrats have never forgiven him for Clinton’s failure they attribute it to the move; bureaus.
Subsequently, the underlying probe into collusion between Trump’s 2016 political campaign and Russia turned many of the 45th president’s supporters against the justice system. The investigation ended in Mr. Mueller’s report—while the Trump campaign expected to receive some help from Putin’s subcontractor, they failed to facilitate any bell-towing conspiracy.
Trump’s fascination with the FBI and the Justice Department, which gave rise to his threats to exact revenge, was aggravated when he was investigated and charged for his plan to meddle in the election and for retaining top secret papers — on the strength of the available ample and incriminating evidence.
If Trump were to counter those who he says gamed the system against him with yet more gaming, then the reliance on the system would be lost for millions of Americans for decades.