The decision of outgoing President Joe Biden to pardon his son Hunter for all crimes he committed or could have committed since 2014 has caused a storm in the US. He is not the first president to do so and he won't be the last. Ford pardoned Nixon, Clinton pardoned his half-brother, Trump pardoned his son-in-law's father (the country's next ambassador to France) and his closest collaborators. But Biden had specifically said he wouldn't, he had said that everyone is equal before the law and that he trusted in Justice, but at the last moment, the father put himself ahead of the "leader of the free world."
The entire conservative universe is rubbing their hands, explaining that it confirms everything they had said for years about Hunter Biden and the president, denouncing corruption, interference, nepotism. But the deepest criticisms come from the Democratic and progressive side, from the party, from congressmen or senators, and from columnists and late-night humor show hosts. There is frustration, anger, and enormous disappointment with Biden, and many have expressed it out loud. As a meme circulating on social media said, "in his last act as president, Biden has achieved the impossible: uniting the country." Even if it's against him.
"President Biden's decision has put personal interest ahead of duty and has further eroded Americans' faith that the justice system is fair and equal for all," lamented Senator Michael Bennet. "The decision was wrong," agreed another senator, Gary Peters. "The family and allies of a president should not receive special treatment. This is an abuse of power, it erodes trust in our government, and emboldens others to twist justice to fit their interests," added the representative from Michigan. "He told the American public he wouldn't do it, and he did. When you make a promise, you must keep it," said with little sympathy Tim Kaine, Democratic senator from Virginia, on the steps of the Capitol.
The message is recurring, although those on the list as possible presidential contenders in 2028 have opted for absolute silence. This is the case for Gavin Newsom of California, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Andy Beshear of Kentucky, and JB Pritzker of Illinois.
On the other hand, Governor Jared Polis of Colorado, a Democrat, stated that while he understood the "natural desire of the president to help his son," he was very disappointed that Biden, whom each and every one of them had praised as an example for putting the country's interests ahead of his personal ambition when he stepped aside in favor of Kamala Harris, now "put his family ahead of the country. It sets a bad precedent that could be exploited by future presidents and, unfortunately, tarnishes his reputation [of Biden]," said Polis.
There is an aspect of exemplarity and coherence, but another, equally or more important in the midst of tension and polarization, of political strategy. Trump pardoned his lawyers, friends, and strategists, from Roger Stone to Steve Bannon to Paul Manafort. Not to mention his son-in-law's father, Charles Kushner. Democrats have been using these examples for years as proof that Trump was not fit to govern again, as evidence of a lack of moral compass. And now, they believe, Biden's decision paves the way for Trump to use pardons again, an instrument that everyone considers a relic of the past and ripe for nepotism, until they need it for their own.
"As a father, I understand. But as someone who wants people to believe in public service again, it's a setback," wrote Ohio Congressman Greg Landsman in X. "I respect President Biden, but I think he was wrong. It wasn't a politically motivated trial, Hunter committed serious crimes and was convicted by a jury of his peers," agreed Greg Stanton, another member of Congress from Arizona.
The national press has been very critical of Biden, emphasizing how he broke his pre-election promise. The Washington Post, the capital's main newspaper, had up to 10 articles on its digital front page about the issue. All media outlets have been reporting since Monday the anonymous testimonies of dozens of White House or government sources saying that this outcome was obvious, evident, inevitable for months, despite the official version being that the president didn't make the decision until these days, precisely after spending Thanksgiving with the whole family, including Hunter. All of them say the son wouldn't have accepted pleading guilty to the charges in the summer if he wasn't pretty sure there would be a pardon at the end of the road.
Even comedy shows, classics of late-night television. Jon Stewart, a pure icon of progressivism, talked a lot about the topic, true to his style, half seriously half in jest as always. ""Hypocrisy is not illegal or particularly unusual in politics. It's not like he's going to run for elections again, so why not take care of his son, even if he said he wouldn't? I respect that. I have no problem with that. The problem is that the rest of the Democrats made Biden's promise not to pardon Hunter the basis of their defense of the United States," as reported by The New York Times in a compilation of quotes.
Biden announced the full pardon on Sunday night during the most festive weekend in the US, Thanksgiving weekend. This also coincides with some of the biggest pre-Christmas sales. "It's been a weekend of big shopping and millions of people got great deals, but no one got a better deal than Hunter Biden," joked Jimmy Fallon with a play on words with 'deal', which works in this case for both a bargain and a deal. "And yes, Joe Biden said he wouldn't pardon Hunter. But, to be fair, there's a good chance he doesn't remember saying that," said Jimmy Kimmel with much more cruelty. "I'm not a presidential historian, but I think it's the first time a US president pardons his son and a turkey in the same week."