Here’s my no BS take on the Hunter Biden pardon.
On one hand, it is completely understandable. Hunter Biden was only being investigated and prosecuted because of who he is. And Republicans both in the Congress and the incoming Trump Administration have promised to continue going after him. That is not justice. We are not supposed to target individual people in search of crimes. We are supposed to investigate crimes and prosecute those responsible. It is completely understandable that President Biden would seek to protect his son from that kind of unethical weaponization of the justice system.
On the other hand, this is obviously bad politically. First, President Biden adamantly insisted, on multiple occasions that he would not pardon his son. To go back on that very clear promise is not good. Much more importantly however, is that this pardon will be used to justify all of Trump’s awful pardons of January 6th insurrectionists, and others. Obviously, the two situations have nothing in common and should not be equated, but that doesn’t matter. Fox News, and all of right-wing media, will point to the Hunter pardon every single time Trump pardon’s any horrible person over the next four years and the Trump Cult will eat it up.
All that said, I couldn’t care less about Hunter Biden being pardoned. We just reelected a 34-time convicted felon and adjudicated rapist who tried to overthrow the republic to keep himself in office illegally, and I’m supposed to care about Hunter Biden getting a pardon for an unfair and selective prosecution? Sorry, I don’t.
That’s my take.