With just weeks left in his term, President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden for all federal crimes he may have committed over a decade, some of which he has already been convicted of. He had been sentenced or pled guilty.
The controversial move smacks of favoritism, and is even more galling given that Biden granted few pardons throughout the remainder of his term.
On Sunday night, Biden announced Granted his son a “full and unconditional pardon” for “crimes against the United States that he committed or may have committed or participated in between January 1, 2014 and December 1, 2024.” He said he gave it.
The move frees the younger Biden from legal jeopardy stemming from tax evasion charges. pleaded guilty In September. He lied on the firearm purchase form that he was not an illegal drug user, but actually used them. was convicted of a crime In June. and any other misconduct that may have been committed during the 10 years and 11 months covered by the pardon.
Although the document does not mention President-elect Donald Trump, it is clear that Biden feared retaliation from the incoming administration and its political allies. “There was an effort to break through Mr. Hunter’s five and a half years of sobriety, even in the face of relentless attacks and selective prosecution,” Biden said. statement Announcement of amnesty. “In trying to break Hunter, they tried to break me too—and there’s no reason to believe it’ll stop here. Enough is enough.”
Although he has the power to grant amnesty, specified in the constitutionis often controversial and ripe for exploitation. often issued by the president i doubt it I forgive on the way out the door to reduce the possibility of political backlash. But it is also an important safeguard against legal injustice. If a judge or jury convicts an innocent person or imposes an unjust sentence, the president, or in the case of a state crime, the governor, may commute the sentence (reduce or terminate the sentence) or change the sentence. has the sole and irreversible power to shorten or pass judgment. I’m sorry, but now the slate is wiped clean and the conviction is completely vacated.
Indeed, past presidents have granted pardons to family members: Bill Clinton forgiven Pardon of half-brother Roger Clinton and former Confederate soldier Abraham Lincoln charged with cocaine trafficking Contains his sister-in-law. President Trump did not pardon any of his immediate family members during his first term, despite the obvious fact. under consideration That’s true, but he did forgiveness Real estate developer Charles Kushner is the father of President Trump’s son-in-law. Kushner previously served 14 months in federal prison for crimes committed by former federal prosecutor Chris Christie. called “This is one of the most abhorrent, abhorrent crimes that I have ever prosecuted,” Trump said over the weekend. announced He said he would nominate Kushner to be the U.S. ambassador to France for a second term.
But Mr. Biden’s initiative was in a different league, granting his son a blanket pardon covering all federal crimes committed within a 10-year period. The son had already been convicted of several crimes and had been charged with other crimes. The Republican Party is accused Biden and his son have been corrupt since long before the 2020 campaign, but by granting them such a sweeping pardon, Biden is giving them gifts wrapped in ribbons just in time for Christmas. I handed it over.
On a human level, Biden’s actions make sense. What if a clearly troubled child was given the chance to avoid federal prison by violating a law that is rarely enforced and should not be a crime at all? Who among us? Don’t you want to take action?
But it also stands in contrast to the relatively small number of clemency petitions granted to anyone for any reason during the remainder of Biden’s term.
“According to the latest data from the Department of Justice, Mr. Biden granted pardons to 25 people and commuted the sentences of 131 others,” law professors Rachel E. Bercow and Mark Osler wrote in the paper. Editorial September 2024 in new york times. “According to our analysis, this is only 1.4 percent of the petitions he has received. No modern U.S. president has had such a low approval rating since Richard Nixon. Of course, Mr. Biden is not yet in office. There is.”
“To date, Mr. Biden has issued fewer pardon grants than the 238 (144 pardons and 94 commutations) that Mr. Trump issued during his first administration.” timesKenneth Vogel I wrote this week.
To be fair, Biden made some grand gestures. issue Federal Pardon for Marijuana Possession Conviction.
“But let me be clear: None of the administration’s actions have resulted in the release of a single marijuana offender from prison.” Music producer Weldon Angelos, who served a year in prison, said: I wrote “President Biden has not yet exercised his pardon power to release cannabis offenders from federal prison. By our calculations, President Biden has pardoned three specific cannabis offenders, but none of them have been incarcerated.” No one was.”
Biden’s stingy pardon pen continues a long-term trend in which the president has become increasingly hesitant to grant pardons. “From 1932 to 1988, the president responded to an average of about 30 percent of cases sent to him with Justice Department approval,” according to one source. 2015 works By the Collateral Outcomes Resource Center. “Since President George H.W. [Barack] Obama granted more commutations than any president since Richard Nixon, but fewer outright pardons than any president since John Adams. ”
With six weeks left in his term, Mr. Biden still has time to correct his missteps. Catholic advocacy groups called President Trump’s first term ended with a spate of federal executions, and he called for the sentences of all federal death row inmates to be commuted to life in prison without parole. It’s clear Biden knows, given his son’s pardon. how Exercise federal pardon power. The only question left is whether he will use it.
