Opinion | The author's opinion does not necessarily reflect Sarah Palin's view.
President Joe Biden has pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, for crimes dating back to 2014. The decision followed years of denials from Biden and Karine Jean-Pierre. Jean-Pierre claimed Hunter Biden was “singled out politically” due to his last name. She said Biden wrestled with the decision but ultimately granted the pardon.
Jean-Pierre said, “No reasonable person could have come to a conclusion other than that Hunter Biden deserved to be pardoned.”
Jean-Pierre added, “Hunter Biden would not have been prosecuted if he had not been a person who has the last name of the president.”
Critics questioned whether the pardon undermines the Department of Justice’s impartiality. Journalists pressed Jean-Pierre on potential politicization of the system.
Jean-Pierre declined to say if Attorney General Merrick Garland should resign but stated Biden still believes in the Department of Justice despite political interference.
Jean-Pierre stated, “The president wrestled with this decision, he made the decision this weekend, and he decided to move forward with pardoning his son.”
House Oversight Chairman James Comer accused Biden of lying about his family’s activities, while Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan linked the pardon to corruption inquiries. Comer said, “The president has lied from start to finish about his family’s corrupt influence peddling activities.”
Comer stated, “Not only has he falsely claimed that he never met with his son’s foreign business associates and that his son did nothing wrong, but he also lied when he said he would not pardon Hunter Biden.”
Comer added, “The charges Hunter faced were just the tip of the iceberg in the blatant corruption that President Biden and the Biden Crime Family have lied about to the American people. It’s unfortunate that, rather than come clean about their decades of wrongdoing, President Biden and his family continue to do everything they can to avoid accountability.”
Jordan said, “Democrats said there was nothing to our impeachment inquiry. If that’s the case, why did Joe Biden just issue Hunter Biden a pardon for the very things we were inquiring about?”
The pardon came after a plea deal for Hunter Biden fell apart. Critics called the deal overly lenient, especially an immunity clause that shielded him from future charges.
Jean-Pierre said Biden “believes in the Department of Justice,” though “politics infected the process.”
Democrats like Rep. Greg Stanton and Gov. Jared Polis criticized the pardon, calling it a bad precedent that tarnishes Biden’s reputation and undermines accountability.
Stanton said, “I respect President Biden, but I think he got this one wrong. This wasn’t a politically-motivated prosecution. Hunter committed felonies, and was convicted by a jury of his peers.”
Polis wrote, “While as a father I certainly understand President @JoeBiden’s natural desire to help his son by pardoning him, I am disappointed that he put his family ahead of the country. This is a bad precedent that could be abused by later Presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation.”
Polis added, “When you become President, your role is Pater familias of the nation. Hunter brought the legal trouble he faced on himself, and one can sympathize with his struggles while also acknowledging that no one is above the law, not a President and not a President’s son.”
