Tuesday, December 3, 2024
Year : 2, Issue: 14
by Rex Huppke
At a moment in American history when honesty has taken a merciless beating, President Joe Biden made a liar of himself.
In the wake of an election that left many of us wondering if the rule of law means a thing, Biden put pen to paper Sunday and pardoned his son Hunter Biden. He did the thing he promised repeatedly he wouldn’t do. And in doing so, he made a mockery of our justice system and soundly sullied his political legacy.
It’s never wise to expect better from a politician. I know that. But in Biden’s case, I made an exception.
Biden’s decision to pardon his son was selfish and will define his legacy
He’s a lifelong public servant, elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972, a year after I was born. He beat Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, sparing us a second term at least for another four years. He has always struck me as an honorable person.
Biden’s presidency has been wildly productive, despite myriad naysayers, and I’ve routinely risen to his defense as Trump and Republicans have done everything possible to paint him as either a doddering fool or a global criminal mastermind.
But I won’t defend Biden this time. Not even close. This decision is the last thing America needs as President-elect Trump prepares to return to the White House with his horde of disingenuous grifters and opportunists.
We need Biden to show us politicians can still be honorable
We know Trump’s administration will offer an endless buffet of lies and self-dealing. We know it because that’s exactly what happened last time.
So what we needed heading into this maelstrom was a figure like Biden showing us, for perhaps the final time, what it looks like when an American politician stands on principle and does the right thing. We needed a reminder that rules matter and that powerful people can put country first.
That’s not what we got from our president.
Biden lied to the American people – plain and simple
In a statement about the pardon, Biden said: “From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted.”
Yeah, except that’s not exactly how it worked out, Mr. President. True, you didn’t interfere while it was going on. And you said time and again you wouldn’t pardon your son. But now you have. You’ve used your power to wipe your son’s slate clean, something no other person who thinks their child was unfairly prosecuted can do. You lied to us. Period.
And you did this while we’re sitting around watching Trump’s myriad legal cases magically disappear. It’s enough to make us feel like the fix is in. Is that really the ending note you wanted your presidency to strike?
Hunter Biden will walk free because his dad is a powerful man
Biden said in the statement: “I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.”
I do understand. Hunter Biden was in the depths of drug addiction when he committed his crimes. He has since gotten clean, which is admirable. And there’s certainly an argument to be made that prosecutors went after Biden’s son with added vigor.
But there’s no question the crimes were committed, as evidenced by a jury’s decision and Hunter Biden’s own guilty pleas. So why shouldn’t he be held accountable like anyone else?
I would hold Biden’s son to the same standards I’d like Trump held to. But a lot of good that’s going to do me. Both will walk free thanks to the virtually unchecked power of the presidency.
Biden has now made it harder for us to call out Trump’s lies
Biden’s pardon is a kick in the collective teeth of people who have supported the president. It sends a disheartening anything-goes message to Americans who, once Trump takes control, will be reminded exactly what “anything goes” really looks like.
Put simply, Biden has undercut our ability to call out and seek accountability for the dodgy things we know Trump and people in his administration will attempt.
Maybe it was the right thing for a father to do. I can’t judge that or say what I would’ve done in his shoes.
But I can say for certain that pardoning Hunter Biden was a lousy thing for a president to do.
When Joe Biden’s legacy is considered, his decision to weaken America’s already fragile belief in the rule of law when he had one foot out the door will not be forgotten. In fact, it might be the first thing anyone remembers.
Author is a USA TODAY columnist
