Below is my column in Fox.com on President Joe Biden’s pardoning of his son Hunter of not just his convicted crimes but any crimes that he may have chosen to commit. President Biden has set a standard that is not merely a new low but positively subterraneous for future presidents.
Here is the column:
President Joe Biden’s decision to use his presidential powers to pardon his own son will be a decision that lives in infamy in presidential politics. It is not just that the President used his constitutional powers to benefit his family. It is because the action culminates years of lying to the public about his knowledge and intentions in the influence-peddling scandal surrounding his family. Even among past scandals in the abuse of the pardon power, Biden has done lasting damage not just to his legacy but his office.
Despite its noble origins and purpose, the pardon power historically has not been a pristine power used by past presidents. As I have previously written, it was used to benefit the political cronies of past presidents. President Warren Harding was even accused of selling pardons, including to mob enforcer Ignacio Lupo, known as “Lupo the Wolf.” Former president William Clinton waited for the final days of his presidency to pardon his own brother as well as a major democratic donor.
In 2023, I wrote that Biden might follow this same pattern and pardon his son as a lame-duck president. The column suggested that Biden might withdraw as a candidate for office and then take the action as a father: “The pardon-and-apology approach might appeal to Biden not only as an effort to convert vice into virtue but to justify his withdrawal from the election as a selfless act.”
In the 2020 election and throughout his presidential term, Biden repeatedly lied to the American public with an ease and impunity that shocked even many political veterans in Washington. He was repeatedly asked if he knew about Hunter’s foreign dealings, including millions in alleged deals with Russians, Ukrainians, Chinese, and other clients. President Biden lied and denied such knowledge. As I detailed in my testimony in the Biden impeachment hearing, he had repeated discussions of these dealings. He is even on tape discussing news stories on the dealings.
President Biden was also repeatedly asked if he met any of his son’s clients. He repeatedly lied. We have pictures and records of dinners and meetings with these clients. Hunter Biden was expressly thanked for his arranging such access to his father.
Few reporters pressed Biden on the corruption scandal, but they were often met not only with denials but angry retorts from the president. When Fox reporter Peter Doocy raised it, the President steamed “Yes, yes, yes. God love you, man — you’re a one-horse pony, I tell you.”
When CBS’s Bo Erickson broke ranks and raised the scandal and drew a rebuke from Biden “I know you’d ask it. I have no response, it’s another smear campaign, right up your alley, those are the questions you always ask.”
The President continued to lie throughout the election, the presidential debates, and his term.
Then, the press repeatedly asked him whether he would pardon his son. The President was now running for reelection and again lied. He and the White House said over and over again that no such pardon would occur and was not being contemplated. That was also a lie. NBC is reporting that, while issuing these denials last June, there were discussions about the pardon.
The pardon power was written in absolute terms, and a president can even, in my view, pardon himself. However, what is constitutional is not necessarily ethical or right. This is one of the most disgraceful pardons even in the checkered history of presidential pardons. President Biden has lied to cover up a corruption scandal that reportedly brought his family millions in raw influence peddling. His portrayal of his son as a victim stands in sharp contrast to the sense of immunity and power conveyed by Hunter in his dealings.
There were diamonds as gifts, lavish expense accounts, and a sports car, in addition to massive payments that Hunter claimed were “loans.” There are messages where Hunter belies the President’s portrayal of a political witch hunt, including messages like the one to a Chinese businessman openly threatening the displeasure of Joe Biden if money is not sent to them immediately. In the WhatsApp message, Hunter stated:
“I am sitting here with my father, and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled. Tell the director that I would like to resolve this now before it gets out of hand, and now means tonight. And, Z, if I get a call or text from anyone involved in this other than you, Zhang, or the Chairman, I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction. I am sitting here waiting for the call with my father.”
The President has now pardoned Hunter for his convicted felonies and any crimes he may have committed from “Jan. 1, 2014, to Dec. 1, 2024.”
It is all now being buried under a sweeping immunity deal and a pack of presidential lies.
Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro professor of public interest law at George Washington University and the author of “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage.”
Amazing how easily the right takes the bait.
Everyone arguing over who pardoned who in the past and whether a father should pardon their son is simply lapping up the chum being chummed out by the left as they try to tap dance away Biden’s incredible in-your-and-everyone-elses-face lying right to the camera, over and over and over.
They are trying get you to argue about other things and ignore that he sent his press secretary out as early weeks ago to insist he’d never pardon Hunter, over and over and over. She smugly and arrogantly acted as if the press corp were stupid for even asking the question.
They are trying to get you to ignore that for the past several months they’ve been proclaiming from the rooftops their moral superiority because “Joe isn’t pardoning Hunter”, because “dems don’t do that…”.
This is the most incredible case of a President and everyone in his party lying directly to the American people, getting caught red handed, then continuing to lie about lying and the right should not be getting caught up in diversionary debates over who would or who did pardon who.
This is about brazenly and repeatedly lying to the American people on camera and getting caught.
Bill Clinton was impeached in the Congress for that very thing. Even though he wasn’t under oath, the House impeached him for lying to the American people on camera.
Joe Biden just got caught doing the very same thing. This “change of heart” nonsense is bull. He lied. He did it on camera. And he sent his press secretary out to lie about the same thing. Over and over and over.
So enough with who’d pardon who and who pardoned who. Who LIED THROUGH THEIR TEETH ABOUT PARDONING HIS OWN SON, is the issue here.
Don’t let them weasel out of that.
* The power POWER to pardon is in correcting an injustice. It’s about justice.
That makes the Pope and all his priests the most powerful people on earth.
Perspective.
“That makes the Pope and all his priests the most powerful people on earth.
Perspective.”
Oooohhh… I’m agnostic, not Catholic. But I don’t believe the “perspective” of atheists trying to convince me that because a Catholic priest hears a confession, that Catholic is supposed to believe they just got a pardon from God himself? WTF?????
Atheists have ideas that are even more weird and annoying than the Hare Krishnas.
Anyone with a brain saw this coming.
As to Biden’s legacy, name one thing he did that was positive.
Jimmy Carter who was the worst POTUS at least got a Nobel for peace between Israel and Egypt which is still holding strong over 40yrs later. (47yrs)
The key takeaway it wasn’t just a pardon for the crimes he was charged with, but for everything since 2014.
The only positive is that he can’t plead the fifth and can still be held in contempt if he gets hauled in front of Congress and refuses to testify.
Joe isn’t worried because by the time it gets to trial for him… he’d either be dead or so demented he’d never stand trial.
So no, this isn’t anything to tarnish an already massive failure of a Presidency.
-G
It’s not like Trump created this precedent by pardoning Jared Kushner’s father and making him ambassador to France. Trump would never do that!
So, is Hunter going to be ambassador to France too? Wouldn’t Ukraine be a more lucrative assignment?
Bill Clinton pardoned his half brother for dealing cocaine. As far as I can recall, I think that’s the precedent for close family.
Bubba’s brother served time just as Kushner did. Hunter never will be held accountable for his crimes.
Didn’t Jimmy Carter pardon his brother for killing rabbits out of season or moon shining or something???
It’s not like Trump created this precedent by pardoning Jared Kushner’s father
This is why these cowards post their Bull Schiff anonymously.
It’s not like we’ve never seen a cowardly Anonymous Marxist Useful Idiot try some low grade Bull Schiff by claiming the Kushner pardon was EXACTLY like The Big Guy, the senior partner in Biden White House Crime LLC, pardoning the junior partner in their criminal enterprise. Exactly the same!
Except for the fact Kushner committed his crime and had already completed his prison sentence and was walking around as a free man, not under ongoing investigation as both Bidens still are, before Trump was in office.
That’s apparently exactly the same as The Big Guy giving a blanket pardon to The First Felon Son that covered every crime known and crime not yet discovered by committees investigating Biden corruption from the first day Junior went on a joint diplomacy/Biden Business trip to Ukraine to the day of the pardon. Ten years of Biden crime, attempted to have swept under the Oval Office carpet!
Yep, the ol’ “Please Don’t Believe Your Lying Eyes”…
Daddy Kushner served his time. That gave Jared the opportunity to run a multi-billion dollar business when he was only 24.
You can always count on the leftists to shoot themselves in the foot. It’s like watching a Three Stooges rerun. Thinking their ever so clever in handing out a pardon of anything and everything for ten years prior; the idiot just removed his son’s right to claim the 5th under oath. Can’t wait to see this upcoming testimony. Where’s the popcorn?
This is a great distraction from Republicans’ plan to balance the federal budget and reduce longterm debt for our children and grandchildren. Where’s the plan?
As a public service, here is the math for you:
Trump was the most fiscally-liberal president since Ronald Reagan. Trump contributed an average of $2.1 trillion per year to the national debt (total of $8.2 trillion over 4 years).
Biden averaged about $92 billion debt per year. Obama averaged about $1 trillion debt per year. George W. Bush averaged about $763 billion debt per year.
Bill Clinton was the most fiscally-conservative since Ronald Reagan, leaving office with a balanced budget and only adding 175 billion to longterm debt.
What is Trump’s plan to be more fiscally-conservative than Bill Clinton?
Clinton reduced military spending, thus narrowing the deficit. Trump set about rebuilding the military and now he will have to do it again.
The pandemic screwed Trump’s budget,.
Biden’s was socialism— giveaways to buy votes. His student loan forgiveness was outrageous. But Maxine Waters said “we can afford it” —- she was wrong. Blowing out the deficit will take generations to fix. Let’s see if Trump can make his plan work without more inflation.
Sure, average in the $4 trillion in debt during the lockdown with the non-pandemic years
“Biden averaged about $92 billion debt per year.”
Per usual, you are clueless (and a liar).
For 2023, the federal debt was some $33 trillion, an increase of about $2.2 trillion over 2022. In 2024, that debt increased some $2.3 trillion.
Biden bought and sold by the CIA as high paid spies and agents!
That’s a fact. Why was Cofer Black on the Burisma board with Hunter? Look him up. Not even hiding it!
Trump can’t play along this time, he needs to clean it out
Saloth Sar
The type of pay-for-play foreign influence that the Clintons, Bushes and Bidens courted will continue. Anti-corruption measures that might be enacted by Congress are stalled by a hyper-partisan double standard. Each of the parties is only interested in rules-for-thee/not-for me, which is best achieved by a system of lawfare based on prosecutorial discretion. Staff the FBI/DOJ to partisan advantage.
One way to blunt this politicization of the law is Grand Jury reform — making these procedures truly adversarial. It is a disgrace that the Supreme Court heard a litigant claim that “a ham sandwich can be indicted”, and there was not a hint of disagreement nor discomfort with that assertion among the robed nine.
Beware the creeping elite capture of our core legal architecture. The power to decide facts is slowly being stripped from Juries of ordinary Americans. We saw this in the Presidential Immunity ruling in June. Who gets to decide whether a President’s misconduct is “official” vs. “private” conduct? A Jury hearing the facts?… no! A cabal of District and Appellate Judges decide that before any factual evidence is ever put before a Jury.
pbinca tried this pathetic Whataboutism moral equivalency: The type of pay-for-play foreign influence that the Clintons, Bushes and Bidens courted will continue.
Biden White House Crime LLC bagged $40+ MILLION from the ChiComs and Putin Oligarchs while Biden was vice president for selling… something.
The Clinton Crime Cartel got $40 MILLION from Putin controlled banks alone while she was still Obama’s Secretary of State. Bill Clinton scored a mere $6 million and a private meeting with Putin in one trip to Russia. They too were selling… something…
pbinca, as you’re the expert on this, give us your details on how much the Bush immediate family raked in for “pay to play” during Bush’s time in office. How many millions did the wife or kids rake in?
Please respond: don’t hide yet again with Dennis McIntyre in that special Democrat Borg cave he has after you’ve both dropped your deuces.
Sure, Biden promised that he wouldn’t pardon HB. But “that was before Kash Patel.”
There’s a certain fascination at watching an evil thing done competently — a well-planned bank heist, a particularly clever fraud.
Here we see the Left’s talent: Blaming others for their own incompetence, corruption, lies.
The pardon was being worked on well PRIOR to Trump naming Patel as his FBI chief. So, the “Biden done it because of Kash Patel” excuse is a blatant lie. Additionally, Hunter was tried and found guilty well before Patel was named, so is Joe Biden scared that Patel’s FBI will find additional new crimes that Hunter has committed?
Lying, however, was part of the plan –
““I will not pardon him,” he said in June after a jury found Hunter Biden guilty on three federal gun charges.
The president has discussed pardoning his son with some of his closest aides at least since Hunter Biden’s conviction in June, said two people with direct knowledge of the discussions about the matter. They said it was decided at the time that he would publicly say he would not pardon his son even though doing so remained on the table.”
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/nbc-news-bidens-lying-about-pardoning-hunter-was-part-of-the-plan/
Of course he is aware of additional crimes.
His violation of FARA for starters.
Conspiracy to solicit bribery of the US VP
It’s hardy a talent when their duplicity is obvious for all to see.
The very first person that Trump should pardon for his entire life until now, is Devon Archer.
Then drag his ass into the FBI and lets start getting some answers.
He should then pardon Amos Hochstein, Marc Holtzman, Zlochevsky, and Pozharskyi and drag their asses in. (He may need to pressure Ukraine to pardon Zlochevsky so he will come out of hiding). Then pardon Raymond Zhao and ask him to come in.
Then Patel needs to put the screws to anyone in Hunter and Jim’s “business” orbits.
So you’ve been in favor of lawfare all along, just concerned when the opposition party is waging it?
Cite specific laws you think Biden’s associates have broken. That’s a “blind justice” approach.
Presidents now have total immunity–so said the Trump SCOTUS.
Gigi, you vicious lying political whore. What a cunning stunt you are with every post you drop here from that Democrat anus in the middle of your face. Your lying would even shame Bribery Biden. And even in his dementia, even he isn’t as obvious a liar as you are.
That SCOTUS decision did NOT give ‘total immunity’ to Trump. Despite the claims of your sister Cunning Stunts on The View that you appear to be auditioning for.
Trump v. United States, 603 U.S. ___ (2024)
https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/603/23-939/
PRIMARY HOLDING
Under our constitutional structure of separated powers, the nature of Presidential power entitles a former President to absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority.
And he is entitled to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts.
There is no immunity for unofficial acts.
You can thank me for correcting your skanky lies later Gigi, you vicious lying political whore.
Dog: Shake off your fleas and mind your manners. Try sticking to the issues and not shooting off vicious ad hominems.
If the DOJ goes after the Bidens and their enterprises, Hunter could be their best witness as I can’t see how he can claim the 5th on anything that happened after January 01, 2014.
Half of the citizens of the United States have chosen to turn a blind eye to the lies, the horrific hypocrisy and the blatant disregard for decency of the entire Biden family. A complicit media is in high gear attacking anyone who speaks the truth. Democrats are finding excuses for Biden, no matter how tenuous the evidence. It’s indicative of the brokenness in America today. Fact is, nothing will change. No one will be held accountable.
* Held accountable? Look at how people are living? They are their own punishment and everyone else, too. It’s an atrocity.
Kamalal Harris made Biden a liar. He was not going to pardon Hunter, Kamala was going to. that is what the press secretary meant when she said the Trump victory had made Biden change his mind. Biden did not intentd to pardon Hunter. He knew Kamala or another crony would win the white house and do the dirty work. I wonder if the 30 minute time between Biden’s withdrawl from the race and his endorsement of Harris was used to extract a promise. Who knows. we just know Biden was not going to pardon Biden, his democratic successor would. Biden’s flip exposes the scheme.
A pardon from the old guy, Mistah Kurtz – he lied! (B.S. Eliot)
The inside cats are fed, Snookums has had her medicine, the outside cats are fed, there is food and treats out for the possums and coons, I have stew cooking in the rice cooker, Hemingway – the pterodactyl cat – has been in my lap dancing to Shakin’ All Over, and finally I can relax and see what youtube has to say about the pardon! Here is a fun one!
* Joe left the country to strong arm the Ukraine investigator with the US will withdraw money. Video testimony in a Joe stupor implicating Obama.
Testimony of canned investigator.
Burisma folds and moves to Cyprus.
It’s not over.
The gun and tax convictions aren’t enforced or charged when it’s an average person. Targetted prosecution.
You can feel free to buy guns as a drug addict.
OH GREAT ANNA! another law. How about adding language or the word “honorable”.
Smh
Here’s the deal, no joke, and by the way.
Biden promised to be a uniter. He was just the opposite. He governed as divider in chief. Ministry of truth, and anyone opposed to it was a semi-fascist, garbage, Bull Connor, Maga extremist.
No joke, and by the way, we finally beat Medicare. End of quote. Repeat the line.
Biden promised to promote faith in the rule of law. He did just the opposite. Biden, Obama, Hillary, Eric Holder, Loretta Lynch, Lois Lerner, Merrick Garland. Criminals every one, and a cancer on society, killing the body politic.
“No one is above the law” under Biden went the way of “pay your fair share” (of taxes) when his charming and brilliant son is involved.
The broad language of the pardon makes us all wonder what Joe knows that the rest of us do not know. This is obviously a ploy to hide Joe’s own misdoings as head of the Biden Family’s Crime Business (the Big Guy).
The pardon goes back 10 years — in 2014, Obama assigned Ukraine to Biden. Then Hunter joined the Burisma board. So much for Obama’s claim that his presidency was scandal-free. What did he know and when did he know it? His own VP was traveling around the world on our dime, shaking down foreign countries.
We know a little but there’s a bigger story that we need to know more about. Unleash the IRS whistleblowers. They’ll make a good start. Then make Hunter testify (he has lost his 5th amendment rights under the pardon).
Even Special Counsel David Weiss believes that there are problems with how broad this pardon is and has vowed to fight it.
What else has Joe made money on? Have the cartels paid him off to admit all the illegal immigrants? Even if we can’t prosecute him for his offenses while he was the President, we deserve to know what he did with our trust and our money.
While Joe has professed that he is saving Democracy, he’s leaving it to the rest of us to rescue it from his clutches.
ps — Joe was forced to pardon his son because his political opponents wouldn’t move on from the topic according to KJP!
I forgot to mention that while Hunter’s pardon will preclude criminal charges against him, he can still be sued in civil court. That is very expensive to defend against, and he and the others can be sued for every penny they’ve absconded with. He will have to testify truthfully.
* Yes 2014 assigned Burisma and other points, old man.
Hunter suffered head injuries in the car accident that killed his wife and children. Of course Joe is pardoning Hunter.
What the scheme is remains unknown. There’s always a scheme. It does appear the pardon should be for gun app and IRS only at first blush. It’s a precedent.
* it’s not a precedent. President Johnson pardoned the entire confederacy.
* Cartels the shadow government? Paid off? You’re supposed to think that as czarina Harris went to Venezuela and Guatemala? Unkn. Where’s Oliver North?
Even Special Counsel David Weiss believes that there are problems with how broad this pardon is and has vowed to fight it.
No, he doesn’t, and no, he hasn’t.
he can still be sued in civil court
By whom?
he and the others can be sued for every penny they’ve absconded with.
What are you talking about? No one is even alleging that they “absconded” with anyone’s money.
* Broad pardon? President Johnson pardoned the entire confederacy.
* Hunter is now chum in the water.
He was born into the Biden family.