Biden’s Pardon of Hunter: A Political Flashpoint with Far-Reaching Consequences
President Joe Biden’s pardon of Hunter Biden has reenergized a new political storm and stoked worries about the collision between politics and the rule of law. Just weeks from departing the White House, Biden’s move has already caused the public to lose faith in the American justice system and create a new storm of controversy should Donald Trump be returned to power.
Biden’s pardon — issued on a Sunday evening—represented a dramatic shift for a president who vowed not to intervene in his son’s legal troubles during his first days in office. After many argued that the Justice Department was politicized during Trump’s first term, Biden promised independence when he took office. However, Biden has seen fit to pardon his son, with his upcoming sentencing just weeks away. Hunter Biden is accused of such serious crimes as illegal possession of a gun and tax avoidance—everything beyond reproach thanks to a regular, regular legal process.
This was a convergence of legal controversy.
There’s something to be said for the timing of Biden’s pardon. Just days before that, Jack Smith, the special counsel, dismissed federal cases against Donald Trump on charges of election interference and hoarding classified documents, saying presidents couldn’t be prosecuted. The convergence of legal battles like these—between Hunter Biden and Donald Trump—becomes a question for the principle that no one, not even someone so high up the scale of government, is above the law.
But until now, Biden had avoided involving himself in Hunter’s cases, saying his son should receive due process. Political pressure following Trump’s election victory appeared to alter the president’s thinking. On Saturday evening, Biden told his staff he had made the decision, and by Sunday morning, his team had worked out precisely what they would do with the pardon.
The Political Fallout
Biden’s pardon would have significant political weight. The move is tantamount to tarnishing Biden’s legacy and further erodes his credibility. It’s another bid in a growing sense that his presidency, wobbly in the wake of a stormy debate performance last month, will be remembered more for clearing a path for Trump’s return than for delivering any lasting gains.
Biden’s decision could also give his allies ammunition. That pardon energizes Trump’s base, as the president-elect already appointed controversial figures like Kash Patel to key positions. Republicans argue that Biden’s pardon is just one more example of political favoritism, accusing the current president of using the justice system to help his son. These claims may not be valid, but they can be politically influential.
Trump pardons and their implications
Trump’s first term was pockmarked by controversy over his use of the pardon power. Paul Manafort, his former campaign manager, Roger Stone, a political consultant, both of whom were convicted of serious crimes, and other political allies were granted clemency. By taking action last week, Biden gives Trump and his allies a chance to deflect future criticisms of his pardons. It might use Biden’s decision to protect Hunter as proof that both political parties have deployed presidential powers for personal and political gain.
Biden’s actions come after Trump is under pressure to pardon those who were involved in the January 6 Capitol riot. If the former president pardons January 6 convicts, he will likely justify his choice by bragging about Biden’s use of clemency in a politically charged scenario.
Biden’s Defense: A Father’s Concern
In his statement, Biden cast the pardon as an act of a father worried about his son’s future. An addiction-struggling Hunter Biden was also a burden to the president, who faces the potential for a prison sentence. Biden said no reasonable person who reviewed the facts in Hunter’s cases would come to any other conclusion than he was targeted solely because he is my son — and that’s wrong. His words echo Trump’s similar remarks in the past, in which both presidents claimed that the justice system had been politicized to target them and their families.
Beyond Hunter’s Legal Troubles
But Hunter Biden’s legal troubles are hardly unprecedented. He had been convicted of gun possession while on drugs and pleaded guilty to failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes. Although these charges may pale compared to the headline-grabbing charges that Trump has faced, the fact that the president is tangling himself in his son’s legal matters is still raising the eyebrows of ethical lawyers. However, Hunter Biden’s business dealings in Ukraine and China, mainly as Joe Biden was vice president, have only stoked the political inferno, without any evidence coming to light that Joe Biden personally profited.
When his dad, the commander in chief, was in power when his son was conducting international business, the unrest intensified over Hunter Biden’s actions. The timing of Biden’s pardon — kicking in on January 1, 2014 — when Hunter joined the Burisma board only adds to questions of conflicts of interest and the appearance of impropriety.
**Looking Ahead: *Pardon Power: The Politics*
But Biden’s decision to pardon his son may not be in a vacuum. There’s no doubt the president’s actions have been influenced by the political environment, including the chance Trump could once again end up in the White House. Trump’s loyalists had vowed to hit back against Biden’s allies with everything from legal actions to threats, and his pardon could be perceived as an attempt to shield Hunter Biden from future political fire.
Also, in a swift response, Trump suggested that Biden’s pardon could be part of a more concerted political agenda. Just days after winning his comeback election, the former president has already hinted that he is prepared to use the presidential pardon power to serve his personal and political gains for the January 6 convicts.
Ultimately, the Biden pardon has only widened the political divide while compounding the nation’s legal puzzle. Now, both sides contend that the Justice Department is under siege—Biden saying that he had no bearing on his son’s treatment. At the same time, Trump’s team has depicted the former president as a guardian of justice under relentless onslaught. The full impact of these decisions will unfold in the coming months, but one thing is clear: It’s far from over in the debate over presidential power, justice, or political influence.
Conclusion: This was a Turning Point in American Politics and Justice
Joe Biden’s pardon of his son constitutes an important moment in the never-ending political struggle over the justice system’s independence. The timing and character of the pardon have given many reasons to question the fairness of the American legal system and have furnished Biden and Trump with potent political weapons heading into the next chapter of American governance. This decision will have political ramifications far beyond Biden’s last days in office on what will now be a legal and political battlefield for years to come.
