
<p>The announcement that Papa Joe Biden has pardoned his son should come as no surprise – despite the senior Biden’s repeated claims that he would not issue a pardon for his son.</p>



<p>Many of the news personalities have been speculating on what changed the President’s mind. ; Nothing changed his mind.  ;Joe Biden was lying when he said there would be no pardon. ;</p>



<p>From the time the legal cases started going badly for Hunter, the likelihood of a pardon was on the table. I predicted the pardon in a past commentary without any doubt in my mind. Whether Biden was entering into a second term or not, there should be no doubt that he has long planned to pardon his son. </p>



<p> ;Biden is a man who has spent more than 50 years relying on political calculations to determine his actions. ; It was for political reasons that Biden lied repeatedly. ; He knew he was lying—and so did Hunter, the Biden family and virtually everyone else.</p>



<p>Why wouldn’t he?</p>



<p>There is no downside in pardoning Hunter. ; There will be some criticism, for sure. ; But as an 81-year-old lame duck President, there is no political risk. ; Biden could have pardoned Hunter last year – but then there was political risk in view of his running for reelection.</p>



<p>He will suffer some loss in reputation. ; That is evident in the number of Democrats who are critical of the pardon – in principle and in the specific nature of it.</p>



<p>Although the pardon is a gross attack on the justice system – and an example of political privilege – one can be sympathetic and understanding. ; After all, what father – if given the opportunity – would not have done the same? ; If I were in the Biden situation, I would have done it. ; But I would not have lied about it, and I would have issued the pardon much earlier despite the political risk. ;</p>



<p>AND, I would not have made it a blanket pardon for any and all federal crimes Hunter may have committed from 2014 to today. The blanket amnesty &#8212; and the dates &#8212; reveal an important element in the pardon. Papa Biden is going back to when he was Vice President and when Hunter was deeply enmeshed in very suspicious activities with Burisma Holdings, the Ukrainian energy company. There are still open investigations concerning Hunter and the Biden family in Congress and in the Justice Department.</p>



<p>There are still lingering issues regarding the millions Hunter got from the Russians. ; Some of that involved Joe Biden and his brother, James. ; The issue of not registering as a foreign agent. ; I would not be surprised if James would get a pardon in the final days of the administration – and even a constitutionally unsettled self-pardon for Papa Joe.</p>



<p>The timing of the pardon may be explained by the fact Hunter was to be sentenced on December 12 and December 15 for gun crimes and tax crimes respectively. ; There was a possibility of jail time in the tax fraud case. ; The pardon averts the round of very negative publicity that would have ensued – and issuing a pardon even more onerous.</p>



<p>In the opening paragraph of Biden’s statements announcing the pardon, he said, “Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter. 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 <strong>being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted</strong>.” (Emphasis added).</p>



<p>Biden again openly lies saying he kept his word about not interfering in DOJ decision-making, that claim as he is interfering in a major way. Shutting down a case after jury verdicts have been rendered is about as significant interference imaginable. </p>



<p>Biden claims that he was concerned about a future Trump Department of Justice (DOJ) going after Hunter. If that was his motive, why go all the way back to 2014 – two years before Trump took office? And why a blanket pardon for any and all undiscovered crimes during that 10 year period. It suggests that the Biden’s see some potential areas of legitimate prosecutorial interest – and wanted to cut them off. </p>



<p>Biden defended the original plea deal that would have allowed Biden to walk without any jail time or criminal record. ; Biden described the deal as “fair” and “reasonable.” ; In a rare move, the plea deal was thrown out by a federal judge for being outrageous. ; In his statement, Biden contends that the plea deal was thrown out because of pressure from political opponents. ; ; However, a further DOJ investigation subsequently resulted in the current charges and convictions.</p>



<p>It is also noteworthy that Hunter pleaded guilty to the tax evasion charges. ; There is no issue of Hunter’s guilt – or that his was railroaded by an adversarial Justice Department.</p>



<p>In his statement, Biden referred to the cases as “selective prosecution,” as “an effort to break Hunter” and that “Hunter was treated differently.” ; Biden said that the charges against Hunter came about only because “several of my political opponents in Congress instigate them to attack me.”</p>



<p>It was Biden’s own Justice Department, headed by Merrick Garland &#8212; the guy he appointed to the post &#8212; that brought the charges.  ; ;To suggest that it was prosecutorial misconduct due to the influence of Republicans is laughable. ; (No, Biden did not use the term “prosecutorial misconduct” but he sure described it as such).</p>



<p>Biden’s claim that his DOJ was succumbing to pressures from political adversaries is prima facie nonsense. It was a DOJ in hot pursuit of Trump and his supporters. Despite those facts, Biden said that “No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong.” Singled out by Biden’s own Justice Department? Come on, man!</p>



<p>The more obvious truth is that Hunter is avoiding sentencing and any accountability for crimes he may have committed from 2014 to 2024 only BECAUSE he is the President’s son.</p>



<p>Biden’s accusations against the DOJ for carrying out a politically motivated case sounds a lot like Trump – and runs contrary to the Democrats&#8217; assurances that the Department of Justice is quasi-independent and filled only with folks devoid of partisanship. Accusing the DOJ of being influenced by politics destroys Democrat Pollyanna claims of political independence &#8212; and gives credence to Trump’s claims of politicization by the DOJ.</p>



<p>In the close to his statement, Biden made perhaps his most audacious statement. ; He said, “For my entire career I have followed a simple principle: just tell the American people the truth.” ; (I will pause as you regain your composure). ; This from a guy who has a reputation as a master of malarky.</p>



<p>His statement went on to say: “Here’s the truth: I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe <strong>raw politics has infected this process</strong> and it led to a miscarriage of justice – and once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further. I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.” ; (Emphasis added). ; Another jab at a politicized DOJ. ; Trump could not have been more accusatory against Biden’s Justice Department.</p>



<p>I think we all understand why Biden came to his decision – from his stated reasons and the real reasons. ; I just believe this commentary explains it more accurately and truthfully than Biden’s official statement.</p>



<p>Biden is just a failed president further damaging his credibility – and nobility &#8212; in the final days of his relevancy.</p>



<p>So, there ‘tis.</p>



<p>If Biden respected the justice system, as he claims, he could have given his son clemency – meaning any convictions stand, but there would be no jail time. Of course, he could have shortened the coverage of the pardon.</p>



<p>That is why I knew with great certainty that Joe would issue the pardon no matter how many times he lied to the contrary.</p>

Hunter gets his “get out of jail free card” from daddy
