Below is my column in The Hill on the Biden pardon and how it might not prove as complete a protection for Hunter Biden — or Joe Biden — as the President had hoped. Ironically, the greatest protection for President Biden in continuing investigations in the influence-peddling scandal could prove that very case that he has denounced that recognized presidential immunity for matters that arise during a presidency. Nevertheless, the action confirms the suspicion that Hunter’s bizarre criminal defense strategy may have been based on the assumption that he had a pocket pardon as insurance against any losses in court.
Here is the column:
The most shocking aspect of President Biden pardoning his own son, Hunter, may be that it was not in the least shocking, given the history of the Biden family. This abuse of the pardon power was widely anticipated even by his allies as the president repeatedly denied that he would ever do such a thing as he ran for reelection. Indeed, it may be the single most premeditated unethical act in political history.
However, it may not achieve what President Biden most hopes for: a clean slate for his son and himself in this massive corruption scandal.
Roughly two years ago, I wrote about how Biden might suddenly withdraw from the presidential race in 2024 and pardon his son as a lame-duck president. “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,” I wrote.
I further noted: “Everyone in Washington would win — except, of course, the public: The Bidens would keep alleged millions in influence-peddling profits; Hunter would not even have to pay his full taxes; members of Congress and the media could avoid taking responsibility for burying the reports of corruption.”
I wrote about the pardon option repeatedly because none of Hunter’s bizarre (and ultimately unsuccessful) criminal defenses made sense unless he felt confident that his father would pardon him in the end. Hunter’s taunting Congress with open contempt of a subpoena and his ridiculous defenses in court were not the actions of someone who feared consequences from these investigations. They were the actions of someone with a pocket pardon.
NBC is reporting that Hunter’s pardon was being discussed in the White House for a long time, even as Biden and his staff were steadfastly denying that he would issue a pardon. As with his years of denying knowledge of Hunter’s business dealings and meeting his clients, Biden simply lied over and over again to the public.
The eventual pardon restored what was a sweetheart deal reached with Special Counsel David Weiss that would have given Hunter immunity to the immediate charges and any unnamed criminal charges. It collapsed in court when Judge Maryellen Noreika expressed shock at such a deal and asked the prosecutor if he had ever seen such a deal offered to any other defendant. He admitted that he had not.
Now, President Biden has recreated an even more sweeping immunity grant through his own powers by pardoning his son not only for the crimes of which he was convicted, but of any crimes committed between Jan. 1, 2014 to Dec. 1, 2024.
Think on that. It would cover anything from perjury to murder.
Now it makes sense why Hunter seemed to be engaged in what I described as a “game of chicken with himself.” As a criminal defense attorney, I noted that wild moves in and outside of the courts would make sense only if he knew that his dad would cover him in the end if everything went poorly — even as the president was assuring the public that he would never do such a thing.
In a final show of contempt for the American people, President Biden waited until a Sunday before an international trip to commit this unethical act. He brushed over his past lies by saying that “From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word.” What he actually said, over and over again, was that he would never pardon his son.
For many in the media who helped bury this scandal and showed no interest in pursuing the influence-peddling operation of the Biden family, the pardon was met with uncomfortable shrugs. It is a measure of what you can call “Biden ethics.” In the curious world of Joe Biden, a lie that no one believes is treated the same as the truth.
It is likely to work. There may be little interest in pursuing this corruption scandal with so much to get done in the new administration. However, it is not the absolute “get-out-of-jail-free” card that President Biden would like.
Hunter could still be called to testify before Congress or with investigators on the influence-peddling efforts. If he lies, it will be a new crime for which this pardon would not bar prosecution. He would no longer be able to count on a pocket pardon as an insurance policy.
Short of such continued investigation, the Bidens will have achieved something that would have made John Gotti blush. They were able to pull in millions of alleged influence-peddling proceeds. Hunter was showered with gifts and benefits, from a diamond to a luxury sports car. Various Biden family members reportedly received money from the operation. President Biden was himself accused of knowledge and possible benefits from the influence peddling. He will also be protected by this official act.
This is why I once wrote that the Bidens are the GOATs of influence peddling. While influence peddling is the most common form of corruption in Washington, this city has never seen the likes of the Bidens. The only thing greater than their appetite was their sheer audacity.
In this statement on the pardon before fleeing the jurisdiction for a foreign trip, President Biden notably stated that “in trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me.” Indeed, this corruption scandal is as much about the president as it is about his son. And, as the president previously declared, “No one f—- with a Biden.”
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.”
It appears as if Joe Biden & his “crime family” have gotten away with their corrupt influence peddling. His “punishment,” though it may surface after he’s gone from this life, will be that he’ll go down in history as America’s worst President.
Joe Biden exposed what he’s really all about decades ago but nobody listened:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Ha9PQea5WH8?t=4&feature=share
Don’t say that poor listened…its called vigilante justice. .there is no American who hands over that vigilante who did in the CEO who profited so much on suffering. Vigilante will wax the nark! That man is a hero! The people have had it! Let me know when someone turns him i in. Ppl wont. Robots so might but ppl wont! Run man run. Don’t be rudoph.
The clause describing the pardon power says, “he shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.”
Question: How can there be a pardon for an “offense” if the person to be pardoned hasn’t been convicted of, or even indicted for, that “offense” yet?
This brazen abuse of the pardon power calls for the courts to limit that power. Certainly courts can say that a president cannot pardon himself, since there is no case law saying that he can. Even though Ford pardoned Nixon for acts for which he had never been convicted, or even prosecuted, and courts later upheld that pardon, surely the unusual situation in which Ford did that can be used to distinguish that situation from Biden (or Harris) doing that for many people now.
Hypothetically. But here he was. So your question goes to the scope of the pardon. A that’s trickey. But I can see how a president might pardon prospective ppl in national security. Bc that’s the presidents realm. But I get ya – for taxes seems unfair.
Does anyone NOT believe that Joe was paramount and deeply behind and involved in all the influence peddling that son Hunter was clearly involved in. Hunter himself is ignorant and has zero marketable skills. What’s a disgrace is that Joe can wink and nod while saying he had nothing to do with this pay for play scheme. Joe is the one that should be held accountable, Hunter was just a gopher.
Yet Joe can’t really having so lost pardon himself. And with such broad pardon of son…he can’t take the fifth. Joe shit his pants for real here. He’s lucky trump of the deal isn’t re retribution!
Jim Biden is going to be peeing in his pants unless he gets a pardon mirroring that of Hunter, as Joe exits the Presidency.
Does anyone believe Trump will pardon Joe Biden LOL
But, but, but either it was Trump’s fault or Trump was worse. Is there no more personal responsibility any more?
It must be grand to spend your whole life giving away other people’s money, especially when a percentage of it is kicked back to you and your relatives, making your family wealthy with ill-gotten gains.
But his life is like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field, the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more (ps 103).
He will face a reckoning one day. He will learn what ultimate reality is. I would not want to be him on that day.
Dear Prof Turley,
About Biden’s ‘final corruption’. Let’s not count our chickens before they hatch.
Whether wondering aimlessly through the Amazon rainforest or giving speeches in the city of Nigeria, Biden is still the POTUS until Jan. 20, 2024. Who knows what madness Biden can inflict upon the world between now . .. and then.
*Biden has been practicing corruption since you were in swaddling cloths.. . Jan. 1, 2014 to Dec. 1, 2024 is a very specific time frame.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/B5E3mPG_R1s
I don’t know, Turley, is there anything you wouldn’t write for money? Turley claims: ” Indeed, it may be the single most premeditated unethical act in political history.” PREMEDITATED UNETHICAL ACT? WHAT ABOUT THE INSURRECTION BASED ON THE BIG LIE? What about the Proud Boys and their pre-insurrection reconnaissance mission to plot the most-vulnerable points of entry, what about the pre-insurrection meetings at the Willard Hotel, what about the forged Electoral College documents, what about the 2 impeachments–one for trying to gin up lies about Biden in exchange for aid appropriated by Congress for Ukraine? And you speak of “unethical”–what about Trump sitting in front of the television for over 3 hours, watching his fans “fight like hell” by smashing doors and windows at the Capitol, battering police officers, erecting a noose, and hunting for Mike Pence, shouting “Hang Mike Pence”? You think Joe Biden pardoning Hunter, who was clearly targeted for prosecution because he is Hunter Biden and not Hunter Smith, was the “most premeditated unethical act in political history”? You really ought to be ashamed, Turley, but as you prove each and every day, shame left the station a long time ago when the money train arrived.
And, Turley, it’s not a lie if you take a position on a matter and then change your mind–which is exactly what Biden did–because the Republicans weren’t going to stop with the gun and income tax issues–they were intending to keep going after Hunter to get to Joe Biden because they just had to have something, anything, to justify all of the resources wasted in the Republican-led House committee hearings that accused Joe Biden of all sorts of things–but which came up short on evidence–but which MAGA media, of which you choose to be a part, promised would prove Joe Biden was corrupt. Sometimes you disgust me, Turley.
Turley says: “They were able to pull in millions of alleged influence-peddling proceeds.” WHERE IS THE PROOF OF THIS, AND WHY HAVEN’T REPUBLICANS BEEN ABLE TO COME UP WITH ANY? If Biden were not a public figure, you could, and should, be sued for defamation.
I don’t know, Gigs, is there anything uglier and lower than you coming on this blog every day after you get off your shift to insult and malign an internationally-renowned professional? Gigi says, “Sometimes you disgust me, Turley.” But she can’t wait to come back for more. Apparently, she wants to take it out on Turley because other commenters find her disgusting.
ALLtimes you disgust me, Gigi.
He didn’t change his mind. He reversed his principles. That makes him a hypocrite.
And a liar.
Tom: Biden DID change his mind, and the vengeful rhetoric of Kash Patel is one big reason. Patel actually has a “hit list” of people he would use the resources of our government to go after if his nomination went through.
vengeful rhetoric like yours?
tell us again why the United States did away with firing squads? Oh that’s right, because we are a religious people.
“vengeful” another word gigi picked up from this blog.
Who’s Tom?
He didn’t simply change his mind. He showed the world that he had no sincere principles. If you want to characterize what he did as mere change of mind, be my guest. The rest of us can see him for the cynical, insincere, self-involved hypocrite that he is.
Gigi , the copium you imbibe in is epic. It’s dulled your senses and blunted your wit to a stammering squawk box parroting partisan vomit of the left. The D brand fell very short and lost this election. Everyone knows briben is as corrupt and contemptible as they can come……. there is no arguing that. The D brand under obammy weaponized “lawfare” against all political oppo of their tainted crusade. The Briben admin jumped on that corrupt lawfare wagon with both feet wholeheartedly. Your twisted logic would be fascinating if it was not so disgustingly vacant.
Oh, what a delightful display of selective outrage, and moral gymnastics you’ve put on paper! Let’s dissect your rant, shall we?
Firstly, you seem to have a curious definition of “premeditated unethical act.” You throw around terms like “insurrection” and “Big Lie” as if they’re the only unethical acts in the history of politics. But let’s not forget, your hero, Jonathan Turley, was speaking in the context of presidential pardons, not coups or social gatherings at hotels. His comment was about the premeditation in the act of pardoning, which, in the case of Hunter Biden, was as predictable as a sunrise in the east.
Your attempt to equate a pardon with an “insurrection” is amusing. Were you there, perhaps, during these so-called reconnaissance missions, or the clandestine meetings at the Willard Hotel? Or are you just repeating the breathless narratives of your preferred cable news channel?
And oh, the forged Electoral College documents! Such drama! Yet, here we are discussing a pardon, not the intricacies of electoral processes. But thank you for the reminder; it’s always good to see someone so well-versed in every tiny detail, isn’t it?
The two impeachments you mention – did they result in conviction? No, they did not. But let’s not let facts get in the way of a good rant. And yes, Trump watching TV while chaos ensued is certainly an image worth discussing, though not in the context of what Turley was actually talking about.
Now, let’s address your defense of Joe Biden’s flip-flopping. “It’s not a lie if you change your mind,” you say? How very… flexible of you. By that logic, any politician can say one thing, do another, and then claim they’ve just “changed their mind.” Bravo! That’s a new one for the political excuse handbook.
And your claim that Hunter was targeted because he’s Hunter Biden and not Hunter Smith? That’s the kind of argument that would make even a conspiracy theorist blush. If Hunter’s last name were Smith, do you really think he’d be of any interest to anyone outside of his tax bracket? And, how many black males are incarcerated for lying on a form to get a gun? Hundreds of thousands over the last decade. What’s up with that, homie?
As for Turley, you claim he should be ashamed, but you’re the one showing your cards. Your disgust with him seems to stem more from his willingness to voice an opinion that doesn’t align with your own than from any real ethical lapse on his part. Turley’s “money train” might indeed be rolling, but at least he’s not pretending his outrage is fueled by anything other than a paycheck.
In conclusion, your selective memory, coupled with your passionate defense of the indefensible, does not humiliate Turley; it merely highlights your own biases and perhaps, your lack of understanding of what constitutes a coherent argument. But hey, keep the melodrama coming; it’s certainly entertaining. and gives me a nice break from writing Motions, Writs, and arguments.
I’m beginning to think Gigi (maybe the others, but her/it especially) may just be a lib with a GPT bot, rehashing the exact same rhetoric day after day, unable to think for themselves, which is why any reply tey make always comes down to insults.
What color is the sky in your twisted world?
If you actually believe Biden did not know he was lying when he said he would not pardon his son, you are an idiot.
Again , cope harder.
YAWN
I am going to attempt to engage in wokespeak. See below.
Sure, the Bidens are corrupt and yes, Hunter a dirt bag but Joe has pursued progressive, leftist policies that will eventually create a wonderful multicult paradise. As Comrade Lenin said, “You have to break a few eggs to create an omelet.”
How did I do, s@@tlibs?
antonio
How indignant our friends in Illinois [of all places] were in 2016 that Trump, the epitome of ethical and moral bankruptcy as they opined, had the chutzpah to deem himself presidential material. Even more chagrined and steeled for the future were they going forward. There, in November 2020, was Biden, their expectations for hope and change was deemed a worthy opponent and so the joy in the fact that he prevailed. No awareness of the years of the constantly southward pointing moral compass of this miscreant that his local, state, and national constituencies had invested their confidence in. So we have to thank the electorate of the 2020 vote, legal or not, for the wretched wreck of an administration that has wrought havoc upon the land and its people in so many ways, and remind them that they have no right take umbrage at the fact that their ‘glorious leader’ has once again confirmed, in his own fashion, that the opposition had ben right all along.
In the most indecent manner of self-exposure, Joe Biden just opened his raincoat and flashed to America his shortcomings as a man, a leader, an American. That there was so little there to see surprised only his enablers — the millions of incompetent voters who for decades failed to reject him for his offensive lies or question him for his inexplicable wealth; for the rest of us, it was Joe as usual, a man of such low character he could’ve made a memorable Kennedy.
* 😂 The Bidens were set up. I know who it wuuuzz.
In the words of the infamous Joe Biden, I don’t care if they think I’m Satan himself. 😂 Delusions of grandeur much?