On Sunday, December 1st, President Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden. The younger Biden had been convicted in June 2024 of illegally owning a gun whilst being a drug user and had pleaded guilty to failing to file millions in taxes in September 2024. Nonetheless, these prosecutions have to come to an end now. The President’s pardon was sweeping, covering all crimes Hunter has or may have committed from 2014 to 2024. The President, in his statement explaining his decision, said that Hunter was only prosecuted because he was Biden’s son. If you do look at the criminal case itself, Biden does have a point. After all, David Weiss, the prosecutor advancing the Hunter Biden case, had been appointed by Trump, who had also egged on
This pardon is still a significant reversal as President Biden had repeatedly insisted that he would not pardon his son. This had been a repeated talking point of his following Hunter’s legal troubles. The decision, of course, has taken backlash from Democrats and Republicans alike.
If one were to think about it, Joe Biden did what most parents would do. The vast majority of parents if put into that position would pardon their child or family member for whatever wrongdoing they did. In my opinion, Biden’s reversal was not all that surprising. Biden also has nothing to lose, as he will likely not run for public office again. However, this decision cedes the moral high ground that Democrats have been claiming over Republicans. A key talking point of Democrats has been that they were the only party that was still upholding the rule of law, while they criticized the Republicans for backing Trump, who had been convicted multiple times. Now, that talking point is dead in the water.
As the Biden presidency ends, this pardon will be yet another stain on the Biden legacy.
Emil Ordonez, a rising college freshman, is the founder and editor-in-chief of Polinsights. He has been deeply passionate about politics and history since learning every U.S. President at the age of five. He was compelled to start this blog after meeting many people who were misinformed or had become apathetic about how society worked. He hopes to provide factual knowledge and insights that will encourage people, especially the young, to get more engaged in their respective communities. In his free time, he edits for Wikipedia and makes maps for elections. He aspires to work in Congress or even the White House in the future.
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