My prediction
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I thought that Joe really was going to go the "no pardon" route and trust the system to deal with Hunter's legal issues. I was initially disappointed that he decided to pardon Hunter because I thought he would keep his word.
It occurred to me this morning that he changed his mind because he no longer trusts the system and that Hunter is being treated differently and that the offenses would have never been prosecuted if Hunter's last name weren't Biden. At that point, Joe's parental protection mechanism kicked in and he used his presidential authority to protect his son.
It's much the same argument that Trump's supporters have made, that the justice system was used against him in ways that are outside of the norm. I don't think the situations are equivalent (Bragg might be an example but the Georgia election interference was egregious behavior on Trump's part), but that's another whole discussion.
Regardless, I find it depressing that we are moving farther and farther away from trusting the system and keeping to the rule of law.
@wtg said in My prediction:
It occurred to me this morning that he changed his mind because he no longer trusts the system
This is my guess as well.
Regardless, I find it depressing that we are moving farther and farther away from trusting the system and keeping to the rule of law.
I agree.
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I doubt he changed his mind. I figured it was always in the cards, though he was probably holding out for an acquittal in the early days.
But what could he say when asked? âMaybe later?â âI donât know the details, I havenât seen an application come across my deskâ.
Any answer but ânoâ would have been a problem for him and wouldnât have done Hunter any favors either.
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I would have hoped that he didn't do what we all knew he would do. I'm also wondering why now and not closer to leaving office.
@kluurs said in My prediction:
I would have hoped that he didn't do what we all knew he would do.
I guess @ShiroKuro and I are the odd persons out on this one.
I'm also wondering why now and not closer to leaving office.
Wasn't sentencing supposed to happen shortly? Plus it dropped on Sunday of the Thanksgiving weekend. Get it over with as little fanfare as possible.
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The NYT published Biden's explanation for why he decided to pardon his son. I agree with every word of it. I would have been disappointed in him as a father and as a human being if he hadn't pardoned Hunter. I feel a lot of relief that he had the wisdom and compassion to do this. It was the right thing to do. Hunter was being treated very unfairly.
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I disagree.
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It's true that few people are ever prosecuted for the gun charge on its own, but Hunter actually copped to the crime in a book he published for personal financial gain. THat's the kind of thing the DoJ would look into. If he hadn't included that detail in his book, I'd agree.
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It's true that most people who don't pay their taxes but eventually pay them with interest and penalties are not prosecuted, but the ones they actually do prosecute tend to be high-profile people, in order to send a message to the broader public. He was just such a person so it wasn't out of the ordinary for them to go after him on that one. I do think if there was a more tightly negotiated plea deal it would have been accepted by the court. But the ambiguity in the actual plea deal, which was probably the result of aggressive representation protecting him from other potential charges, ultimately tanked it.
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If his (President Biden's) real concern was what he said it was, i.e. future charges by a politicized DoJ (a very real concern, btw), he could have pardoned him for any potential crimes from 2014-2024 EXCEPT the two he had been charged with. That way he would have kept his promise, while also protecting his son from Trumpian lawfare.
My view has long been that Biden was always going to pardon him if it were necessary to keep him out of prison. As a father I don't blame him at all, I would absolutely do the same thing.
I just wish he had been honest and said 'I'm doing this because he's my only surviving child, he's vulnerable, and because I can' and not thrown his own DoJ under the bus.
Having said all that, I agree with his points about political pressure changing the outcome of his plea deal.
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Guess I'm with Isaac Saul. Didn't think Biden would do the pardon, and the pardon as executed is really disappointing.
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As the saying goes, "All's fair in love and war." These are not peaceful times. The DOJ managed to elevate Hunter's case to a level that seems inappropriate. At the same time, they avoided prosecuting Trump until it was too late. (Justice in America? What justice?) In the grand scheme of things, that is the real crime. It is angering that on the one hand we have corruption going unchecked, and on the other a president who has to be taken to task for protecting his son. Compared to Trump's pardons, Biden's pardon seems benign (except for the blanket part). The optics of Biden's pardon are horrible and he does come across as aloof at times. It's not the first time he's reneged on a promise and the price to pay for both reversals is steep. That's also aggravating.
Perhaps it wasn't right. . . but are these normal times? The good guys are going to be held to higher standard than the bad, I'm afraid. I am happy at the poke in the eye to the republicans, but enormously frustrated at the palaver of it all.
I will remain of mixed mind over it for now.
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Republicans have given up on the lie/fantasy that "justice is blind" or "we are all equal under the law", and have shown willingness to weaponize the justice arm of the government while Democrats still try to cling to the myth...
Just another example of the two sides playing by different rule books!
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John Deanâs thoughts. He may have something here.
Trumpâs head would explode.
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John Deanâs thoughts. He may have something here.
Trumpâs head would explode.
Good grief.
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Emerson College poll. The second question, about possible Jan 6 pardons by Trump, is interesting....
Voters were asked if they supported or opposed President Bidenâs pardon of his son Hunter. A majority (52%) oppose, 28% support the decision, and 19% are unsure. Voters were also asked if they would support President-elect Trumpâs issuing of pardons to people involved in the events of January 6; 50% oppose, 34% support, and 16% are neutral.
