Not All Pardons Are Alike
Well, well, well. Very interesting happening today. Half the country right now is likely saying, “I knew it!” because the news of the day is that Joe Biden has pardoned his son, Hunter! That’s right folks. A Presidential pardon for Hunter Biden, with just a few weeks left in Biden’s miserable term. If you’re like most Americans, this news will shock you for a moment, but then will probably be followed by a surge of anger, because Americans are big on accountability (especially after the past four years that we’ve suffered through). So many of us are upset that Hunter Biden is being pardoned, while J6’ers are still rotting in prison. I understand the frustration, but there’s also some confusion about this pardon that I’d like to clear up. For example, you have the unreliable New York Times declaring that Biden gave his son a “Full and Unconditional Pardon.” They are mimicking some of the language in the pardon, but they don’t know what they are saying (not surprisingly). They’re calling it a full and unconditional pardon, however, that’s not exactly true. You see, not all pardons are alike, and the one that Hunter Biden just got, though broad, is not all encompassing. I explain.
The powers of the President of the United States are laid out in Article II of our US Constitution. That’s where you would go to look and see what exactly a President can do, how long their term is, how they get elected, how they can get removed, etc. Joe Biden issued a pardon to his son pursuant to Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 of our US Constitution. It reads as follows:
The last line is where you want to focus… Presidents can “grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.” The plain English translation… a Presidential pardon only applies to federal offenses (ie breach of federal laws). That means Presidential pardons do not apply to state offenses, or local offenses, or civil (private) offenses. So any laws that Hunter Biden violated on the state or local levels are not excused, nor are any private rights of action against him. This means if he wronged you personally, this Presidential pardon does not exempt him from being sued by you. Biden knows this, as exemplified in the language he used in the pardon. He says he pardons Hunter for “those offenses against the United States…”, not against everyone everywhere for any reason. A President doesn’t have that absolute power to do that.
See here the full language of the pardon:
Of course Biden pathetically tried to explain away the hypocrisy of him pardoning his son after lecturing the world about nobody being above the law. However, no matter what he spewed in his press statement, nothing will undo the fact that he is the most anti-American President our nation has ever had, and his legacy is one of corruption, lawlessness, and lies.
Here’s his press statement released today along with the pardon:
I feel compelled to point out to you the stunning hypocrisy of Joe Biden. He has spent much of his presidency louding the efforts of New York’s Attorney General, Letitia James, and NYC’s District Attorney Alvin Bragg to convict President Trump, lock him up, and throw away the key. Biden has repeatedly said, “no one is above the law…” And then he turns around, with just over a month left in his presidency, and he pardons his own son! Hypocrisy of epic proportions, especially because he did it, despite the fact that he repeatedly said he wouldn’t! Unreal.
Here’s a clip of Biden shaming Trump and declaring that nobody is above the law:
https://x.com/JoeBiden/status/1808177388351562016
One last point I want to make about this pardon is that the pardon does not excuse Hunter biden from prosecution for future wrong-doing. The language says it pardons him for his wrongdoings from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024. If he breaks a federal law tomorrow, he can be prosecuted for same.
I believe that history will not look fondly upon the Biden family nor the Biden presidency. In my mind, Joe Biden will leave a legacy that is unmatched by any President our nation has ever had. He will be remembered for open borders, high crime, never before seen inflation rates, endless wars, America-last policies that put foreign nations and illegal immigrants above American citizens, bankrupting our nation to enrich politicians and cronies, weaponizing the Department of Justice against his political enemies and freedom loving Americans, and now pardoning his criminal son. It is a legacy that no man should be proud of.
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