The decision, which was first reported by NBC News, is a reversal for the president, who repeatedly said he would not use his authority to pardon his son or commute his sentence.

Summary

President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden, reversing his prior stance against using executive clemency.

The pardon covers Hunter’s federal gun conviction and tax evasion guilty plea, sparking political controversy.

Biden cited political attacks and a “miscarriage of justice” as reasons for his decision, emphasizing his son’s recovery from addiction and the targeting of his family.

Critics argue the move undermines the judicial process, while supporters view it as within Biden’s constitutional powers.

This decision shields Hunter from potential prison time as Biden nears the end of his presidency.

  • SluethA
    5030·
    3 days ago

    “The other guys do bad things, so it’s okay for us to do bad things as well”. What kind of argument is that?

    Pardoning your family members is corrupt plain and simple, doesn’t matter what political party they belong to, doesn’t matter who they are. It should be called out.

    • WildPalmTree@lemmy.world
      92·
      2 days ago

      It is “corrupt” (within quotation marks because it is also legal). But it can also be understandable. Given his circumstances, I know what I’d do. The same. Without a doubt. What would you do?

      Of course he can be criticised, go right ahead. I don’t care. But let’s also be honest. We are no saints. No matter what, he will never be elected to anything again ever. Just huffing and puffing is fairly pointless and makes people look blustering, not principled.

      • SluethA
        2·
        1 day ago

        You can not use the “we’re just human” argument on a leader of a country. Their actions affect people’s lives and liberty, they have a responsibility to protect those.

        I don’t care what you would do. It is corrupt. Pacifism is how we ended up with Hitler.

    • berno@lemmy.world
      94·
      2 days ago

      22 downvotes as of this writing. Mental illness and astroturfing are just as bad on lemmy as they are on reddit

    • Yodan@lemm.eeEnglish
      1711·
      3 days ago

      If Republicans demonize democrats and project their own crimes for half a century without facts then it’s honestly time to stop crying wolf and do some things that they’re getting accused of. Why does a red name get a pass? If it isn’t both sides but everyone thinks it is anyway then there is no reason to not do bad stuff. Trump has proven that you will get rewarded for being the worst human possible and more. He is apparently the ideal American so to not lie cheat and steal is un-American. If Biden helps his son once in the face of 30+ terrible felonies president trump did himself, not including his cronies, then so be it. I really hope Biden breaks everyone’s brain about pardons because it will bring every other scummy pardon into question too from other presidents.

      • leftytighty@slrpnk.netEnglish
        194·
        3 days ago

        Why celebrate them doing it for selfish reasons? Biden is finally willing to break norms but not to do anything that’ll actually benefit the country.

        Your arguments would make sense if he tried to pack the supreme court or take extra measures to prevent project 2025 but he’s just protecting his guilty son… Yay?

        This is simple tribalism at best.

      • SluethA
        199·
        3 days ago

        Pardoning family members is corrupt plain and simple. Justifying those actions based on the actions of others does not make it any less corrupt.

        Loosing your ethical integrity in an effort to “get even” only favors extremists who do not care about a country. I suggest everyone reading this take an objective look at the situation and see where we’re headed.

        • Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works
          157·
          3 days ago

          I don’t think it’s that simple, if the only reason your family members were persecuted was for political reasons to begin with. Let’s not pretend that conservatives actually care about this law, if they did then most of their influencers and celebrities would be in prison for this. You could start with Joe Rogan who talks all the time about his drug use and hunting past times.

          • Cleggory@lemmy.world
            86·
            2 days ago

            The mental gymnastics are endless amongst the establishment. Using addiction as a cover for corruption is just par huh.

            A summary of the charges and convictions of Hunter Biden:

            Gun Charge Conviction: Hunter Biden was convicted of three felony counts for lying on a federal firearms application. He pleaded guilty to making a false statement, saying he was not a drug user, and illegally possessing a firearm for 11 days.

            Tax Convictions: Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to nine federal tax charges in Los Angeles, including three felony tax offenses and six misdemeanor tax offenses. He failed to pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes for tax years 2016-2019 and filed false returns.

            Plea Deal: Initially, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to the tax charges and faced a maximum sentence of 17 years in prison.