Biden grants full pardon to son Hunter Justice or hypocrisy?

"Be it known, that this day, I, Joseph R. Biden, Jr., President of the United States, pursuant to my powers under Article II, Section 2, Clause 1, of the Constitution, have granted unto Robert Hunter Biden a full and unconditional pardon."

If the names in this text were replaced with those of other figures—say, a leader from an Asian, Middle Eastern, or Eastern European country—the US State Department would issue a statement within twenty minutes condemning the "actions of the head of state as incompatible with democratic principles."

However, this time, the events unfolded in the homeland of those who claim the "license" to criticize everyone and everything. Let’s go back to the opening lines. You read that right. On December 1, US President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, for crimes he "committed or may have committed" between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024.

Background note

The investigation into Hunter Biden began in 2018 when it came to light that he had purchased a firearm while using illegal drugs. The charges alleged that he lied on the purchase forms about his drug use and unlawfully possessed a firearm during this period. Subsequently, Hunter Biden faced additional charges of tax evasion and filing false tax returns.

In June 2024, a jury found him guilty of illegal firearm possession. By September 2024, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to tax-related crimes, with sentencing scheduled for December 16. The firearm case was set for sentencing within 120 days of the jury’s verdict. Together, the charges carried a potential sentence of up to 25 years in prison.

In a lengthy postscript to the pardon, President Biden stated: "Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter. From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted."

The sitting US President went on to elaborate on what he perceived as procedural inconsistencies that culminated in what he described as an unjust verdict against Hunter. "It is clear that Hunter was treated differently," Joe Biden concluded.

"No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong. There has been an effort to break Hunter – who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me – and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough," the President wrote, seemingly in a moment of frustration.

We’ll return to the issue of judicial criticisms later. However, there’s one more inconvenient detail in this saga. It’s peculiar that all these arguments and grievances about the justice system were conveniently forgotten during Biden’s election campaign. Back then, he explicitly declared that he would rule out pardoning his son Hunter and would accept whatever verdict the court delivered. The same message was repeatedly reinforced by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who assured reporters that the President would not interfere in his son’s case.

The picture becomes strikingly clear: Biden engaged in blatant manipulation of the potential electorate, hoping that if he won the election, the courts would not hold the son of the victorious candidate accountable. After Biden dropped out of the race, he refrained from taking such a step, as a pardon would negatively impact the approval ratings of the Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris. Now, with the Democrats losing the election, Joe Biden, with nearly two months remaining in office, can freely use his presidential powers and privileges for personal gain.

Thus, it appears that before the presidential election, Biden trusted the American judiciary, but after the election, he no longer did; before the Democrats' defeat, the American court was the fairest in the world, but afterwards, it became an institution mired in corruption.

"I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision," Biden added.

Well, as a father, Biden’s actions can be understood. As a leader of the country – no. Especially as the leader of a nation that positions itself as a "beacon of law and order" – absolutely not. How can one point fingers at other countries for sins like corruption, nepotism, and cronyism when one openly admits that family ties are more important than the rule of law?

But the problem isn’t just that. Biden accuses the American judiciary of political bias. Let’s imagine for a moment that he is entirely justified in his claims, or rather, his accusations against the judicial system. This would mean that one of the three pillars of power in a democratic society – the judiciary – is being implicated in political bias, or even, essentially, fraud, in the "most democratic country in the world." Only by making such accusations could one attempt to justify their own actions.