President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter has ignited a firestorm of criticism from an unexpected source – his own supporters within the Democratic party. The controversial move, which Biden had previously sworn not to make, has left many questioning whether the president put family loyalty ahead of the country’s best interests.
According to sources close to the White House, the pardon came as a shock even to some of Biden’s closest advisors, who had counseled against it. The president reportedly agonized over the decision for weeks before ultimately choosing to grant clemency to his troubled son, who was facing sentencing on federal gun and tax charges later this month.
Democrats Voice Disappointment and Concern
While Biden likely expected the pardon to draw fire from Republicans, the backlash from within his own party has been particularly stinging. Colorado Governor Jared Polis, a Democrat, took to social media to express his disapproval, writing:
“While as a father I certainly understand President @JoeBiden’s natural desire to help his son by pardoning him, I am disappointed that he put his family ahead of the country. This is a bad precedent that could be abused by later Presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation.”
Polis wasn’t alone in his criticism. Arizona Congressman Greg Stanton, also a Democrat, rejected Biden’s assertion that the charges against Hunter were politically motivated, stating:
“I respect President Biden, but I think he got this one wrong. This wasn’t a politically-motivated prosecution. Hunter committed felonies, and was convicted by a jury of his peers.”
Enabling Trump’s Pardon Abuses?
Some worry that by pardoning his son, Biden has undercut his moral authority and opened the door for president-elect Donald Trump to abuse his own pardon powers upon returning to office. Former Republican congressman Joe Walsh, who had endorsed Biden, lamented:
“This just furthers the cynicism that people have about politics. That cynicism strengthens Trump because Trump can just say: ‘I’m not a unique threat. Everybody does this.’ … This was a selfish move by Biden which politically only strengthens Trump.”
Writing in The Atlantic, Jonathan Chait argued that Biden had compromised the democratic principles he championed, making them “much harder to defend when their most famous defenders have compromised them flagrantly.”
Defenders Cite Fairness, Trump’s Misdeeds
Not all Democrats have abandoned Biden, however. Some have leapt to his defense, arguing that the pardon was a matter of fairness and that Hunter’s prosecution was unjust from the start. Former Attorney General Eric Holder tweeted:
“Here’s the reality. No US [attorney] would have charged this case given the underlying facts. Had his name been Joe Smith the resolution would have been – fundamentally and more fairly – a declination. Pardon warranted.”
Others, like Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crocket, pointed to the many legal scandals swirling around president-elect Trump and his cabinet picks, arguing that those were far more egregious than Biden’s pardon of his son.
A Question of Right and Wrong
Ultimately, the debate over Hunter Biden’s pardon goes beyond political calculations to more fundamental questions of right and wrong. As Republican-turned-Democrat strategist Sarah Longwell put it:
“‘Trump is worse’ is never a good argument to justify bad behavior. Biden knows it’s wrong. That’s why he committed over and over to not doing it. It doesn’t make him the same as Trump… It’s simply wrong and we should say so, lest we forget that right and wrong still exist.”
As the nation grapples with yet another norm-shattering episode at the highest levels of government, it falls to each citizen to consider carefully what standards of integrity and accountability they expect from their leaders – and whether “not as bad as Trump” is good enough. The health of American democracy in the challenging years ahead may well depend on it.
