The other side of this to consider, Bernie, is Biden has effectively paved the road for Donald Trump to pardon anyone he wishes, such as the J6 rioters, or even himself. He was likely going to do it anyway, but it's much harder for the media to criticize him for it now that Biden has pardoned his son.
Your points are well taken. You are right about the pardon. However, I would respectfully disagree. I think Biden did pretty well as President. Here are his accomplishments: (a) getting out of Afghanistan (albeit in a flawed way); (b) sticking with Ukraine; (c) leaving the Fed to do its job on the economy - Powell did a terrific job in reducing inflation and the economy has done well; (d) the SEC and CFTC made noble attempts to regulate Crypto - this will be sorely missed in a year or two when the crypto bros will inevitably commit fraud or prompt a massive screwup, and (e) doing the job as a public servant would do it. I suspect that "lackluster" is going to look really good in 18 months when the inevitable MAGA screwups start to occur. We had a normal and prosperous four years as citizens of the United States. We really can't complain about that. Downsides are that he should have dropped out early on and allowed a primary to take place. Soon, we are going to miss Joe Biden because MAGA types don't do the thinking he and his staff did. There is no way the S&P 500 goes up as much as it did if he was a "lackluster" President.
Did anyone really believe JB when he said he wouldn't pardon Hunter?
They (the Biden admin) lied about everything: the border - secure; inflation - temporary; crime - down; Afghanistan - Trump's fault; Biden - sharp as a tack; Hunter's laptop - Russian disinfo; Hunter's pardon - no one's above the law.
My guess is that President Biden asked President Trump elect to pardon his son. I guess President Trump refused and that’s why President Biden did what he did.
You're right Bernie; this may be the one thing people remember about his presidency. But GOP representatives shouldn't elaborate the message because what can they say when Trump pardons himself.
Pres. Biden was in a difficult position when was repeatedly asked by the so-called liberal media agents if he'd pardon Hunter, who has always been a private citizen (NOT a public official). If he said Yes and Maybe, then the GOP would have political ammunition. Saying No, was dishonest because he either knew he would or knew that it was a distinct possibility.
Pres. Biden has an unusual habit for politicians: he tends to answer questions directly. In this case, he should have simply said "I'm not going to address the issue until the legal process plays out." He should have repeated this answer to any follow-up questions.
Pres. Biden also should have waited until Hunter was sentenced.
That said, I don't blame him for pardoning Hunter. As I recall, Hunter had a plea deal that would have disposed of all charges. Because the plea deal entered on the court record was too broad - it was thrown out. Instead of crafting a more fitting plea deal, the prosecution filed charges. I suspect that this was because of political pressure.
A tax attorney I know said that the IRS does not prosecute taxpayers who cooperate fully with their investigation - as did Hunter - and who pay all back taxes, fines, and interest when requested - as did Hunter - and who has no prior conviction record.
My understanding is that lying on a gun registration form is not prosecuted if the gun was not used in a crime and the offender has no prior convictions.
The other side of this to consider, Bernie, is Biden has effectively paved the road for Donald Trump to pardon anyone he wishes, such as the J6 rioters, or even himself. He was likely going to do it anyway, but it's much harder for the media to criticize him for it now that Biden has pardoned his son.
What surprises me most is that JB didn’t wait until the morning of Jan. 20, 2025 to pardon HB.
Your points are well taken. You are right about the pardon. However, I would respectfully disagree. I think Biden did pretty well as President. Here are his accomplishments: (a) getting out of Afghanistan (albeit in a flawed way); (b) sticking with Ukraine; (c) leaving the Fed to do its job on the economy - Powell did a terrific job in reducing inflation and the economy has done well; (d) the SEC and CFTC made noble attempts to regulate Crypto - this will be sorely missed in a year or two when the crypto bros will inevitably commit fraud or prompt a massive screwup, and (e) doing the job as a public servant would do it. I suspect that "lackluster" is going to look really good in 18 months when the inevitable MAGA screwups start to occur. We had a normal and prosperous four years as citizens of the United States. We really can't complain about that. Downsides are that he should have dropped out early on and allowed a primary to take place. Soon, we are going to miss Joe Biden because MAGA types don't do the thinking he and his staff did. There is no way the S&P 500 goes up as much as it did if he was a "lackluster" President.
Did anyone really believe JB when he said he wouldn't pardon Hunter?
They (the Biden admin) lied about everything: the border - secure; inflation - temporary; crime - down; Afghanistan - Trump's fault; Biden - sharp as a tack; Hunter's laptop - Russian disinfo; Hunter's pardon - no one's above the law.
Worst 4 years of governance ever.
My guess is that President Biden asked President Trump elect to pardon his son. I guess President Trump refused and that’s why President Biden did what he did.
Why would the current president need to ask the president-elect to pardon someone?
You're right Bernie; this may be the one thing people remember about his presidency. But GOP representatives shouldn't elaborate the message because what can they say when Trump pardons himself.
Pres. Biden was in a difficult position when was repeatedly asked by the so-called liberal media agents if he'd pardon Hunter, who has always been a private citizen (NOT a public official). If he said Yes and Maybe, then the GOP would have political ammunition. Saying No, was dishonest because he either knew he would or knew that it was a distinct possibility.
Pres. Biden has an unusual habit for politicians: he tends to answer questions directly. In this case, he should have simply said "I'm not going to address the issue until the legal process plays out." He should have repeated this answer to any follow-up questions.
Pres. Biden also should have waited until Hunter was sentenced.
That said, I don't blame him for pardoning Hunter. As I recall, Hunter had a plea deal that would have disposed of all charges. Because the plea deal entered on the court record was too broad - it was thrown out. Instead of crafting a more fitting plea deal, the prosecution filed charges. I suspect that this was because of political pressure.
A tax attorney I know said that the IRS does not prosecute taxpayers who cooperate fully with their investigation - as did Hunter - and who pay all back taxes, fines, and interest when requested - as did Hunter - and who has no prior conviction record.
My understanding is that lying on a gun registration form is not prosecuted if the gun was not used in a crime and the offender has no prior convictions.
"Pres. Biden also should have waited until Hunter was sentenced."
Bob, you're giving Joe way too much credit on the intelligence meter.
They lie so much that they no longer have any shame when doing so. QED
How so?