By Grace Vuoto
President Joe Biden has further tarnished his legacy with a disgraceful pardon of his son, Hunter Biden.
Hunter was convicted of tax evasion and on federal gun charges. Rather than keeping his word not to interfere with the Justice Department, Biden issued a sweeping pardon, far exceeding the charges for which Hunter would soon be sentenced. He faced between 17 to 25 years in prison and $1.35 million in fines.
“Here’s the truth: I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice—and once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further,” wrote Biden in his statement, justifying his outrageous choice to pardon Hunter.
“I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision,” he concluded.
Actually, no self-respecting father would come to this determination. Hunter’s character is so low that a decent father would deduce that his son needs to be taught a lesson in order to truly reform. Moreover, as one who swore to uphold American laws as a public servant, the president should set an example to the nation: the laws apply to every citizen, equally.
So no, Joe, we do not understand why a father and president would do this—unless the father and president in question had morals as low as his degenerate son.
Biden’s statement reveals why Hunter has been so poorly served by his parents. The president blames “raw politics” and raises the specter of a “miscarriage of justice,” rather than holding Hunter accountable for his illegal conduct. Hunter has grown to be a self-entitled brat—and this is squarely the result of both his own shortcomings and his parents’ inability to set boundaries and impose consequences.
Yet, this story is even more grotesque. The pardon exonerates Hunter, fully and unconditionally, from any crimes he may have convicted from Jan. 1, 2014, to Dec. 1, 2024. Why these broad dates? Obviously, Biden needs to conceal Hunter’s influence-peddling scheme while his father was vice president and Hunter worked on the board of one of Ukraine’s largest gas companies, Burisma Holdings Ltd. Hunter had no qualifications for the role—except to use his position in a sordid enterprise to enrich the Biden family, including “the Big Guy,“ Joe Biden, as was revealed in Hunter emails on his infamous laptop.
Hunter had business dealings with a wide range of foreigners, including Ukrainians, Chinese and Russians. As revealed in congressional testimony, Biden was aware of these transactions, contrary to his claims that he had no knowledge of his son’s affairs. Moreover, Biden discussed these deals with Hunter and met with his son’s business associates. They made millions together—in collusion, in flagrant violation of American laws and while also presenting a national security risk.
Hence, with this pardon, Biden is committing a selfish act under the guise of selfless service to his son: he is really working to cover up on his own crimes and to conceal how he used his son as a pawn to get wealthy. He cares very little for the man-child whom he groomed and manipulated to serve his own needs. It is little wonder that Hunter turned to drugs in this empty environment. Imagine living in the profound loneliness and darkness of knowing your own father is willing to use you to advance self-interest, regardless of the consequences. Hunter operated in a depraved environment for years, born and bred into scandal and deceit of the highest order.
Also at fault in this saga are Republican congressmen who failed miserably to hold the Bidens accountable for their many crimes. Three investigative committees in the House produced mountains of evidence, made widely known to the public, and yet no vote on impeachment. What was the point of it all? The public has grown weary of tiresome reports leading nowhere.
Biden should have been impeached in the House—and a criminal referral including Hunter should have been sent to the Justice Department. This would have elevated the issue of bribery ad influence peddling in the public consciousness. Now, Republicans shed crocodile tears at this pardon, crying foul when they really should be full of remorse. Cowardice breeds lawlessness.
Biden’s pardon of Hunter is a stain upon this land that was founded on high-minded principles of fairness and equality. When the rich and powerful are exempt from justice, the whole nation is debased.
-Grace Vuoto, Ph.D. is a political commentator and columnist. She can be heard Wednesday mornings at 9:00 am on The Kuhner Report WRKO-AM 680. She is also Co-host of “The Conversation with Stephen and Grace,” Saturday mornings, 11:00-1:00 pm, on iHeart’s WXTK 95.1 FM.
