You have a brilliant mind, but I can't agree with you this time. As someone who believes in candor and honor, I can't fault the President for protecting a challenging son from what may quickly become a ruthless gang of thugs coming to Washington in 1½ months. I'd do it too.
Consider how Hunter was treated in Congressional hearings before even convicted - MTG plastering naked photos of him in a Congressional hearing. It does not take a stretch much less a leap to know what would happen to Hunter in rumps’s federal prisons - the dear leader’s “enemies” mysteriously dying
@jonathanbchait.bsky.social And what do you think the Trump Justice Department would do with his case? They are already talking about prosecuting Joe Biden for his nonexistent crimes that they will be free to invent. Wake up, we are about to drop off a cliff.
If you recall, Trump unjustly (judge’s word) sent Michael Cohen back to prison & solitary confinement b/c Cohen wouldn’t promise not to write a book. Now more unhinged, Trump has declared himself retribution personified & maga loves it. Clearly, Biden had to protect Hunter from Trump & his henchmen.
Trump's cabinet picks were a game changer.
Glad POTUS threw away his Boy Scout Handbook.
If this horrifies you, you're in for the worst 4 years of your life.
You are a fool. The Hunter case was always a right-wing hit job aimed at destroying Biden through his son. It’s takes like yours that are destroying our faith in the media. With no due respect, you can shove it.
WTF? Have you lost your mind? Don’t you know that the orange pustule and his minions are gonna go after everyone? And Hunter would be one of the first for no damn reason except revenge. Joe was right to do what he did, get a clue.
Are you even serious? He didn't expect half of this country would be stupid enough to re-elect the Anti Christ who is already implementing his Revenge Tour!! 😡
Of course, he pardoned his son! What the hell is wrong with you people? Are you just born cowards? So scared of the Demented Felon are ya?
The ‘norms’ don’t exist anymore and Dems need to understand how the world works nowadays… or continue to lose. Pardons are another holdover from a system that benefits the elites. Joe did what he had to for his troubled son. Most of us get it.
"Trying to break Hunter? And his father? To what end?"
Are you joking. Are you going to say that there wasn't a single minded effort to destroy Hunter Biden, and by association, his father with a straight face?
I enjoyed The Big Con and your other work, but I think we're way past virtue signalling about what consistent good little law-abiders we are. At this point it's just naive and silly. I hope this is the least of what Brandon has planned with what remains of his All-Encompassing Immunity.
What so many commenters are missing is the overwhelming priority is saving democracy, and that means winning elections, largely by persuading people that the Dems are principled; they stand for democracy and the rule of law; both sides aren't the same, all corrupt. This seriously harms that effort.
Just a horrible example at the worst possible time. The Democrats and democrats should strongly and widely condemn this to show that they are unbiased and principled.
Ideally, any pardon should require a supermajority in congress, and should be repealable by referendum, with a simple majority vote
Should? Ideally? You are the wrong time for this sadly. Biden did the correct thing. Hunter is that beautiful boy you are holding. I would defy you to act differently.
But it doesn't and trump has appointed kash patel who promises retribution. Game changing and time to pardon a son who was persecuted solely because of his name. These are not normal times in case you haven't noticed and time to protect as much as you possibly can
If the prosecution is politically motivated, that is against the law. You prove it in court, and if it goes to the Supreme Court, and they ignore the law, yet again, you further expose them to the public. A horribly biased pardon plays right into the GOP narrative that democracy is hopeless, give up
It would show that Democrats really believe in the rule of law and democracy. It is not that both parties are corrupt, and neither cares about democracy and the rule of law, as the Republicans want you to believe, so you don't fight and consider it hopeless. It would show there is a clear choice.
I think there is obviously a clear choice, but for many people, it will be effective to say, the democrats are no better, look at their President putting his son above the law. They're hypocrites. It's all corrupt, so vote for the GOP. We will make the trains run on time, and promise you the moon.
Are you kidding? This was a political prosecution, plain and simple because Trump has a stranglehold on the GOP. They targeted Joe Biden by going after Hunter. Trump has promised to retaliate against his enemies. What do you think a Trump justice department would do with Hunter Biden? Shame on you!
I disagree with Chait. There is no question that Hunter Biden has been unconscionably discriminated against simply because of the animus against his father. Putting Hunter into prison would have been a travesty of justice. Sons should not be punished for hatred of their fathers.
Look high horse rider, hope you have never changed your mind because of changed circumstances. Force yourself to grin and bear it I say. Why let reality and logical thinking get in the way of feeling superior and miserable? This sounds personal especially bringing up Biden’s decision to run again.
Of course he should have pardoned his son, rather than leaving him at the mercy of Trump and company. Biden's only mistake was promising not to. This is a trivial matter in the scheme of things - get serious.
I really hate your take on this. You have really missed the bigger picture here as usual. Well, I didn't follow you before and I certainly won't now - just thought you should hear back from an Atlantic subscriber who thinks you suck.
Jonathan: The USA let Joe down. We are playing w/ new new rules. Rules where Hunter is not going to get a fair shot. You think Kash Patel and Trump controlling the DOJ are going to be “fair” to Hunter? 😂 No, Biden is playing the game as the new rules dictate. Time to take your head out of the sand.
So he was just supposed to wait until Kash Patel and others in Trump’s corrupt justice dept kept targeting him and creating made up charges for him? They’ve already pursued him for FIVE YEARS now! GTFOH!!
I second that!
"Crimes by family members of powerful public officials are far more damaging to public confidence than similar crimes by anonymous people. Holding them to account through strict enforcement of the law is good and correct."
This is the ultimate, bogus bothsidism to date.
Strongly disagree
I never thought he should have made the promise not to pardon
If they were only about the strict “rule of law” no pardon would ever pass the test
Would it make sense that Biden changed his mind about pardoning his son when he learned who Trump’s AG pick was? Doesn’t it seem likely that Bondi would give Hunter the maximum sentence, which in most people’s minds would be a miscarriage of justice, for anyone?
What a brutally inept argument, and you've again shown yourself the weakest of all Atlantic staff writers. For Hunter Biden to be sacrificed in the face of GOP lawlessness, a lawlessness that will proceed whether or not Hunter is pardoned, is an empty moral victory indeed.
Wow, seriously? Trump is lying every day and poses a direct threat to the country but please call out a father who loves his son. You are really kissing up to trump with this take.
We all know, or should know, that a “Hunter Smith” with the same rap sheet wouldn’t have been put thru the wringer like Hunter Biden. It was like the occasional white boy thrown to the wolves in Louisiana as a fig leaf for all the black boys they execute. The game being just about over, it was time.
Seriously, fuck you. You think Trump wouldn't continue to go after Hunter for no damn good reason? And it's the height of hypocrisy to ignore the fact almost all of Trump's cabinet are being investigated for crimes--and he's pardoned the worst of the worst the last time.
Considering America voted for a twice impeached convicted felon, I’m pretty sure we are done with the whole decorum thing. It’s time Dems throw off their gloves. Glad Biden stepped up to do the right thing for his son, and shared his reasoning in doing so.
Biden changed his mind when he realized that if he did not pardon Hunter it meant certain death for his son. He gave him a blanket pardon so Hunter can get on with his life and not be continuously dragged into investigations over the bogus China and Ukraine stories. And for anyone who cares...1/3
...to do the research, before you talk about Hunter not being "qualified" to be on the Board of Directors of an Energy Company. I did the research & looked at members of the Board of Directors of Exxon & Chevron. Guess what? Board of Directors are selected for having specialties in DIFFERENT...2/3
...AREAS! Almost none of them have Energy experience! Don't believe me? See my info attached! It's a couple of years' old because I did it and saved it but I thought for sure someone would have done their own homework since then and not repeat other people's bad information.
Leave Joe alone! 3/3
This is a bad take Jonathan. Presidential pardons are weird and usually don’t feel great but are something our constitution allows. Biden has been an upstanding president and the incoming regime is testing all limits of our democracy. He is right to change his mind on this.
Like so much else, you continually take the bait from the Rs and argue as if this is the sole of the Democratic party. Hunter was a manufactured issue much like Benghazi. It was always going to be someone for Rs in Congress to smear. Even the trans issue was created by the Rs to force a defense.
Yes yes. But it makes for “great copy” and he wrote this back over the summer. Everybody knew the pardon would happen. Chait ultimately needs to pay the rent(s) and mortgages.
Really disappointing to see this from you. There was no moral or ethical reason for Biden to leave his son at the mercy of a completely corrupt DOJ. The prosecution was politically-motivated. Hunter didn’t really injure anyone. The pardon was the right thing to do and I’m glad Biden did it.
Cannot wait to cheer as Trump throws the entire worthless lot of you into volcanos unless you lick his boots. What an utter fucking failure your entire industry continues to be.
The insistence on following rules (rules often born out of our white supremacist and colonialist mindset) when the opposition has no such compunction is the entire reason Dems have ceded control of all Federal Governance to the extremist Right.
Changing your mind not hypocrisy. It is courageous, something Trump would never do without denying he was changing his mind. The pardon was just and well within precedent federally and in the states to correct injustice. Read up on it some.
Calling "bullshit" on your 'analysis.' You and so many other liberals are bending over backwards to stay out of Trump's coming crosshairs that you're happy to throw the Bidens under the bus. You should be ashamed of yourselves.
Strong disagree. The plea agreement he almost had was only rescinded because of his name. The incoming administration have made it clear they intended to go after him in any way they could - e.g. Burisma related issues. They are not acting in good faith.
Comments
Slow news day or are you using this to pay for the anti-bacterial chapstik you're going to need the next 4 years??
Glad POTUS threw away his Boy Scout Handbook.
If this horrifies you, you're in for the worst 4 years of your life.
Of course, he pardoned his son! What the hell is wrong with you people? Are you just born cowards? So scared of the Demented Felon are ya?
Job. I could see him as Vance’s press secretary 🤣.
Are you joking. Are you going to say that there wasn't a single minded effort to destroy Hunter Biden, and by association, his father with a straight face?
Ideally, any pardon should require a supermajority in congress, and should be repealable by referendum, with a simple majority vote
This shouldn't even be a blip on anyone's radar.
Stop eating stupid pills.
One team getting their ass kicked by another team that's disregarding every single rule and getting away with it.
But keep all your attention on that losing team to make sure they never have the slightest hint of lack of decorum.
Ongoing total collapse of journalism.
https://open.substack.com/pub/heathercoxrichardson/p/december-2-2024?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=jk35j
just ignore @theatlantic.com
it’s a bibi-rag now👇🏼
https://bsky.app/profile/themistocleswall.bsky.social/post/3lcdg566nps27
"Crimes by family members of powerful public officials are far more damaging to public confidence than similar crimes by anonymous people. Holding them to account through strict enforcement of the law is good and correct."
This is the ultimate, bogus bothsidism to date.
https://www.npr.org/2020/12/23/949679837/shock-and-dismay-after-trump-pardons-blackwater-guards-who-killed-14-iraqi-civil
I never thought he should have made the promise not to pardon
If they were only about the strict “rule of law” no pardon would ever pass the test
You.
You
Are
So
Wrong.
Please. Did we take you seriously before this hit piece? Not really. Will we take you seriously going forward? I doubt it.
THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PROSECUTION AND PERSECTION.
Leave Joe alone! 3/3