Staff Reports
It seems President Joe Biden has had a bit of a “do as I say, not as I do” moment with his recent pardon of Hunter Biden. After repeatedly assuring the nation that he would not offer his son a pardon, Biden has now flipped the script faster than a pancake at a Sunday brunch. This decision, coming on the heels of the 2024 presidential election, has raised eyebrows not just among Republicans but within his own party, as the fallout could taint the Democratic establishment for years to come.
Biden’s promises, delivered with the forcefulness of a politician caught on camera, have melted like a snowflake on a summer day. Democratic leaders are now scratching their heads, trying to figure out how this unexpected move could not only hamper Biden’s legacy but also ripple through their party like a bad case of indigestion. One Democrat even lamented that this pardon sets a shady precedent that could come back to haunt future presidents, particularly when the political wind shifts. If ever there was a lesson in ‘what not to do’ for party unity, this seems to be it.
Rules for thee but not for me.
Biden pardons Hunter, breaking his vow not to. Just like his empty promise of a 30-day warning for Gaza aid, it’s clear: his ‘principles’ were just campaign tactics.
Americans deserve leaders who keep their word, not ones who use it to win votes. pic.twitter.com/lfaTHcf4vc
— ZirafaMedia (@ZirafaMedia) December 2, 2024
The chit-chat circulating among Democrats highlights a stark worry: Biden’s pardon might give Trump a convenient excuse for his own controversial decisions down the road. A Democratic strategist openly mused about potential future pardons for the January 6th defendants, slipping into a minor panic over how this could complicate their anti-Trump narrative. You can almost hear the frantic shuffling of papers as Democrats try to distance themselves from the fallout and maintain their moral high ground.
Meanwhile, Hunter’s legal troubles—which he very much brought upon himself—have seemingly drawn the sympathy of some Democrats who think every dad should have the right to bend the rules for his kid. Of course, when that dad happens to be a sitting president, it raises questions about the integrity of the justice system that Biden has yanked into this familial mess. Let’s not forget, Biden has been championing a return to “decency and civility,” yet here he is giving a pass to the very embodiment of his administration’s excuse for hand-wringing over justice.
The magnitude of this pardon is notable; it extends far beyond mere gun and tax charges. This sweeping release includes possible crimes committed from 2014 to 2024. Speculation abound on whether this indicates a broader pattern of Biden’s underhanded political maneuvers, reminiscent of his early dismissals of Hunter’s infamous laptop as mere Russian disinformation. The chance for GOP comeback kids to leverage this into a rallying cry is practically a gift that keeps on giving, fortifying the case for accountability—something the Biden administration seems increasingly unwilling to embrace.
Even as Biden’s team continues to assert that the president has faith in the justice system while simultaneously abusing his power as the head of that very system, the damage is done. Distrust among the American people and between the two sides of the aisle is bubbling to the surface faster than a pot about to boil over. If Democrats thought they could rely on Biden’s so-called reputation for integrity, they may need to rethink their strategy, because with this one decision, he’s handed his critics everything they need to paint him—and his party—as hypocrites, leaving them to wonder if Biden is truly the man they thought he was
