Summary
President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden, reversing his prior stance against using executive clemency.
The pardon covers Hunter’s federal gun conviction and tax evasion guilty plea, sparking political controversy.
Biden cited political attacks and a “miscarriage of justice” as reasons for his decision, emphasizing his son’s recovery from addiction and the targeting of his family.
Critics argue the move undermines the judicial process, while supporters view it as within Biden’s constitutional powers.
This decision shields Hunter from potential prison time as Biden nears the end of his presidency.
“Critics argue the move undermines the judicial process, while supporters view it as within Biden’s constitutional powers.”
Both things are true though. The pardon power exists as a check on the judicial branch, so it certainly undermines it in the same way that the veto undermines legislative decisions by congress. The constitution gives the president the authority to do some pretty blatant undermining, but checks work in the other direction too if the branches are acting as co-equals and not just shilling for one of the others.
It undermines what we liberals value: playing by the rules without exploiting them for our own selfish benefit. Yeah, the rule is that you can do this as POTUS, but it looks bad, and can be selfish or self-serving the way trump does it. His way is straight up corrupt. We don’t want to be like that. It separates us from them. So even if this saves HB from further persecution by the Talibangelicals, it still feels like we collectively get mud on us when Biden pulls the same stunt trump does.
I know right? Man who is soon to no longer be politically relevant had to make his son who is only politically relevant because of the father immune to prosecution for any and all crimes he may or may not have done over the last decade to prevent the GOP from using him to politically attack his father who will no longer be politically relevant at the same moment they gain the ability to hypothetically start the process to do so.
It’s just blatantly corrupt in the same way (but not the same scale) as what we all expect Trump to do. This is Biden getting to be a little blatantly corrupt, as a treat.