I understand the human instinct. I’d want to do the same.
But that’s why no individual should be given the power to pardon members of their family.
But that’s why no individual should be given the power to pardon members of their family.
Comments
The appointment of judges for their political alignment by the executive etc.
America needs an independent judiciary. No political party in power will act on this as they are solely focused on 'undoing' the politicisation of the previous administration.
However, this is the final act of a democrat POTUS, the Drump dynasty is now in power forever
https://news.sky.com/story/amp/joe-biden-has-pardoned-hunter-on-tax-and-gun-charges-but-how-did-the-cases-against-the-presidents-son-unfold-13265101
I don't see any alternative other than sacrificing Hunter to MAGA, and that's not something I'd be comfortable with either. (I'm not comfortable with the pardon, I just don't see an acceptable alternative in the brave new world).
Refusing to allow the plea deal to stand was an egregious political intervention and Biden is 100% correct to issue this pardon at this point.
Especially given Trump's stated intention to persecute his enemies.
It will be interesting to see how much noise the incoming administration make about this. I doubt it will be enough to change the system to prevent a repeat. More likely that the abuse will increase, with this pardon as a justification.
It really doesn't feel right if your moral compass has a steady setting
I was a bit shocked tbh
USA really does seem to be in a dark place atm
Feels like the political angle to this is so toxic that it’s not unreasonable to expect ulterior motives for going after POTUSs son!
Conservatives haven't mentioned it, and neither have many rule of law columnists.
Is that because Pete Hesgeth suggested it?
But it is Trump.
🤬 Failure to deal with Trump and his conspirators, and sort out the courts
🤬 Cowardice over Ukraine 🇺🇦 and Gaza 🇵🇸
🤬 God complex that he was the only one who could keep Trump out again
🤷🏻♂️ Protecting his surviving son from persecution
However maga have been obsessed with bringing as much grief to the Biden's doorstep as possible and I don't see that stopping.
Tramp could do anything he wants
If scrotus is corrupt, which it is, he can do pretty much whatever he likes.
With a corrupted media, there won't be any consequences
It's screwed until it's unrigged
And tramp isn't going to do anything to clean it up
Precedent is precedent after all.
Unless of course the Drumpf DoJ go back to SCotUS to overturn their precedent so they can go after Biden?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_v._United_States_(2024)
Which is one of the reasons I think Joe did this.
None issue until you elect practicing felons.
The American judicial system failed to deal with Trump because it played by the rules and was allowed to be corrupted.
The Dem's & BIden's failure was not the pardon, but the failure to correct the Supreme Court.
1. It's pretty clear he was prosecuted *because* of whose son he is. (Others in the same situation wouldn't have faced charges. Plea deal rejected at the last minute to maximise publicity)
2. there's a fair risk that a Trump admin would bring further charges for political reasons.
Arbitrary absolution of criminals on the basis of political or personal favour? Failing state stuff.
Why should Biden, or the Dems continue to pretend the system isn't broken & unnecessarily endure the torment.
If they're gonna burn it all down, we should grab matches.
Not that the other one is better, which has just been demonstrated.
Thats exactly what it was. The law was used unequally to persecute the Biden family for political reasons. There was nothing fair/impartial about that conviction.
The conviction may be just but the politically driven scuppering of the plea bargain was not.
I don't think a pardon is a good way to redress the issue but no other tools exist.
https://bsky.app/profile/sethabramson.bsky.social/post/3lcc5xywym22t
Trump's second term might turn into a truly fascist regime. The question is would you compromise your 'principles' to safe your son?
https://bsky.app/profile/anneapplebaum.bsky.social/post/3lcf2u72enk24
https://bsky.app/profile/andrewfeinberg.com/post/3lcbusylkxc2m
Rod Blagojevich Michael Milken
Joe Arpaio
Dinesh D'Souza
Clint Lorance
Bernard Kerik
Paul Manafort
Roger Stone
Michael Flynn Stephen K. Bannon
George Papadopoulos
I just think given *everything*, somebody in that country might want to give a signal that the rule of law is still worth something.
Let’s hope they see through him finally when he doesn’t deliver whatever it is they seem to want in their lives because he won’t!
I don’t believe for most part it is but the damage is done.
Tragic error that puts America into failing state category .
That being said I can understand why Biden did it, Trump's made it clear he will use his power to go after his enemies, he has repeatedly made false accusations again Hunter, this is the only way Joe could protect him against a Trump vendetta
A President who pardons his son who was only convicted because of a heavily politicised trial?
Or a rapist elected to be President despite considerable evidence that he is a traitor to that country?
Will it change how Trump acts?
Will it cost votes?
It's the right thing?
Tone of US politics is set. Dems are out of touch, and it's costing them. This won't change a thing, but they need to learn to win ugly, optics be dammed.
It’s not. Hence, why the pardon needed to happen. The Orange Menace is about to embark on his revenge tour. Every single person he dislikes is in danger.
His *actual* crimes are so minimal.
But he would be an easy - if unjust - target for DonOLD when he becomes President.
But wouldn’t his best response be to pardon Trump on January 19th?
It's not as though Biden is the first or most prolific.
And this does open up the path for Hunter Biden to become an ambassador to France sometime in the future.
The choice of signal now is between a white flag and a virtue.
The Supreme Court of United States gave Trump a pardon for any past or future crime.
What worth does the Rule of Law have after that?
But it is worth a try if it saves a son.
Biden's many things. But he is not God.
If only I could provide an example….
Had he not pardoned him, what would have been won? Values that aren’t shared.
It is no longer a level playing field.
What you thing of is a form of martyrdom in the name of values, while the whole place goes to sh!t and the crowd is cheering
Trump holds all the cards, regardless. His privilege has never let him down and it never will.
He ran to avoid jail & he pardoned all his mates and will pardon the Jan 6 insurrectionists & hold a special event at the WH for them.
The only way out of this mess is for Trump to be so bad that his voters realise they screwed themselves.
And further there is a new card in play, that of appointing as state officials those who have been pardoned.
This is what the Americans have just voted for, so arguably Biden is behind the times in giving voters what they want.
This doesn't give the American Right anything they haven't already got.
Trump's already abused the pardon system and promised to do so again.
Everyone has co to wake up. Tit for tat!
https://bsky.app/profile/daveweigel.bsky.social/post/3lcbvjclawk2x
HB's conviction, and more importantly the revenge prosecutions that Kash Patel has already promised, more than meets the criteria that you set out for a just pardon
This makes it very difficult.
Glad I'm not American.
At least in the UK the powerful* are held to account.
Even if it is to a lower standard than the rest of us.
*Boris, I'm thinking of you.
Trumpism has corrupted all.
Biden did the good thing.
Though I'm not sure fascists take any great notice of bits of paper - unless those bits of paper are in their favour.
It is a wealthy country that is no longer serious about the rule of law.
And where they go, others follow.
Are you just getting this now?
I know there are double standards. There has to be at least a veneer of justice for society to work.
The magnitude of this apocalypse hasn’t sunk in for many yet
In a nation of lawlessness, underpinned by fascist leaders and pro-gun laws, Biden did what any father would've done if they had the power. Biden happened to
compass or sense of shame.
No wonder people are disconnected with politics.
No one seems accountable.
He’s high profile, it was an attack on him too. The sentence and treatment in prison would be merciless. A man would die.
For similar, Obama commuted the sentence of Chelsea Manning, shortly before his departure.
Simply proof that corruption further corrupts.
https://bsky.app/profile/explaintrade.com/post/3lccosezakc2i