Hunter and Joe Brought This All On Themselves

Hunter Biden brought all of this on himself.

Joe Biden has damaged his legacy.All of this can and should get worse for both of them.

Two Things I Don’t Want to Hear in Response to This Argument:

* TrumpDonald Trump is his own conversation. Not everything related to any Democratic politician needs to be held in contrast to him. It’s lazy at best and corrosive at worst.

* AddictionI don’t often play this card, but I am the son of an alcoholic and was raised by a problem gambler. Both went to 12-step programs for their issues. Addiction is a multi-faceted problem that deserves sophisticated empathy, but it is NOT an enchantment shielding you from the consequences of your actions. Quite the opposite: the 12-step program is designed to rebuild your sense of responsibility by repairing the damage you caused while afflicted.

The pardon not only reveals the 46th president as a craven cardboard cutout of a decent man, but it also expands the bounds of presidential pardons in a uniquely selfish direction under the sickening guise of loyalty to family.

But no one should be surprised if you’ve followed this story from the beginning. It is one unforced error after the next. One hapless mistake after another defended by unhinged self-indulgence.

Let’s walk the timeline that led us to the most recent crimes:

* Hunter Biden’s LaptopHunter leaves a laptop at a computer repair shop and forgets it. The shop owner realizes who owns it and turns it over to the FBI. After nothing is done and Joe Biden’s campaign makes statements the shop owner knows to be false, the laptop is leaked to the press.

* Joe Biden’s ResponseHis campaign denies fault, deflects blame, and hides behind Hunter’s addiction.

* 51 intelligence experts sign a letter calling it Russian disinformation.

* Biden repeats this during a debate.

* Twitter and Facebook are pressured to suppress links to coverage.

The laptop is later proven real.

* Tax InvestigationIn 2020, Hunter announces he is being investigated for tax fraud (ongoing since 2018).In 2023, a plea deal is reached. Hunter agrees to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges and enters a pretrial diversion program for a felony firearm offense (illegal possession of a gun while using drugs). The deal is expected to avoid jail time.

* IRS WhistleblowersTwo IRS whistleblowers testify before Congress, alleging misconduct and interference in the Hunter Biden investigation. They claim their efforts to pursue charges were stymied by higher-ups in the Justice Department.

* The Plea Deal CollapsesDuring a court hearing, U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika raises concerns about the plea deal's scope, particularly its immunity from future charges. Hunter pleads not guilty.

* Specifically, the deal reportedly included an agreement not to prosecute Hunter for any federal crimes going forward:"The United States agrees not to criminally prosecute Biden, outside of the terms of this Agreement, for any federal crimes encompassed."

* Hunter’s MemoirThe gun charge stems from Hunter’s own admissions in his memoir, Beautiful Things, where he describes active crack cocaine addiction during the period he purchased the firearm.

* Quote: “I used my superpower—finding crack anytime, anywhere.”

* Despite knowing his addiction, he lied on ATF Form 4473 when purchasing the gun.

Hunter sabotaged his own sweetheart plea deal by overreaching for immunity. He was the star witness for his own prosecution because he had to write a book about his new found sobriety.

But if Joe just commuted Hunter’s sentencing for these crimes, it wouldn’t be as big of a deal. Sure he’d be a hypocrite but what’s the real world damage? Hunter didn’t spend a month in prison? He avoided probation?

But that’s not what Joe did.

He did something far greater and no one should forget it.

Joe Biden granted his son a blanket pardon for any and all crimes committed from 2014 to 2024—an unprecedented eleven years.

This goes beyond Hunter’s tax crimes and gun charge, extending into the period when Hunter joined the board of Burisma—the focal point of influence-peddling allegations against the Biden family.

For context:

* Ford’s pardon of Nixon aimed to move the country past Watergate.

* Biden’s pardon serves his own family and raises fresh suspicions about influence peddling.

The White House’s defense: the incoming Justice Department might weaponize its authority to target the Biden family on exaggerated charges.

I would say for the forever power hunger Joe, that same logic fueled Trump’s resurgence from a pariah to a potential two-term president. Maybe they should have let it happen.

Instead, this pardon undermines Biden’s credibility, damages the perception of the presidency, and sets a dangerous precedent for self-serving executive overreach.

So let’s get to the “But Trump…” of it all. Trump issued two pardons that are similar to this one.

* Kodak BlackTrump pardoned the rapper after serving a year of a 46-month sentence for lying on a federal gun form.

* Charles KushnerConvicted and served time for a 2005 charge. Pardoned to clear his record.

Both of them spent time in prison for their offenses. Either got blanket pardons that extended beyond what Dick Nixon received.

TheTrump pardons may be gross but don’t set new precedent. They don’t personally benefit the president.

Biden’s pardon of Hunter does.

Hunter never paid a price.

Joe Biden’s legacy should.

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