Don't Pardon Hunter

Mona Charen on Nov 22, 2024

While all eyes are on Mar-a-Lago and the goons Trump is nominating to besmirch high government offices, there is another potential threat looming to the rule of law, and it comes not from MAGAworld but from the sitting president. I'm referring to the possibility that President Joe Biden might pardon his son Hunter Biden.

Ana Navarro, a panelist on "The View," urged the president to do it, saying, "Joe, since they're talking smack about you anyways, you know what? Maybe pardon Hunter. Pardon Hunter because we, basically America, just pardoned a criminal who was convicted of felonies."

The temptation is understandable. Navarro went on to note that Trump has promised to pardon the Jan. 6 insurrectionists and that Hunter "probably wouldn't have been prosecuted if his last name wasn't Biden. Baby, you got two and a half months. I'm good with you pardoning Hunter."

Though his spokesperson has denied it, the president might well be considering it. The devil on Biden's shoulder might be whispering: Do it. Why not? For the sake of propriety? Hell, propriety is over! You did everything by the book all along the way. If you were like the other guys, you would have fired David Weiss, the special counsel appointed during Trump's term to investigate Hunter. But you didn't. You let the process play out, just like a damn Boy Scout. And whatever your feelings on the matter, you never pressured Merrick Garland to prosecute Trump for Jan. 6 or anything else. You upheld the norm that presidents should not interfere with the Justice Department's prosecutorial decisions. Another Boy Scout move. Unlike your predecessor and successor, you didn't berate the DOJ for bringing charges against people in your party. When the DOJ under your administration indicted Andrew Gillum, Rep. Henry Cuellar, Rep. "TJ" Cox, Sen. Bob Menendez, Mayor Eric Adams and Hunter himself, you didn't breathe a word.

And did the people thank you for it? Did they even notice? No! They just elected a convicted felon who thinks criminal behavior is a prerequisite rather than a bar to high office. They elected someone who will pervert justice to persecute his political opponents - exactly the un-American outcome you warned about. Yet here you are, still clinging to standards that are smashed. Don't be a sucker. You know what Trump would do in your shoes.

Here's something else to think about: You owe this to Hunter. He's always had troubles -- ever since his mom and baby sister were killed in that car crash. And then Beau was struck down, too. Yes, he made poor decisions, but let's face it, he wouldn't be facing jail time if his name weren't Biden, and you're the only one who can save him.

People with influence should implore the president to listen to his better angels. Pardoning Hunter would be a serious blow to the rule of law.

Forget the notion that Hunter wouldn't be in this fix if his name were Smith instead of Biden. It's a two-way street. He cashed in on being a Biden for most of his adult life. In 2017, he sent a WhatsApp message to a Chinese businessman referring to his powerful dad "sitting next to me" and threatening that his interlocutor would "regret not following my direction."

That's not a crime (Biden was out of office at the time), but it's unseemly at best and indicative of an entitled influence peddler, which isn't really in question, is it? What else did Hunter Biden bring to Burisma? As for the criminal charges, no one forced him to cheat on his taxes or lie about his drug use on a gun purchase background check.

The president's unconditional love for his son is admirable and relatable. But the good of the nation requires that Biden put aside his feelings.

Pardoning Hunter, who has pleaded guilty, would persuade those who still believe in impartial justice that it's all a pretense -- that Democrats mouth the words about nobody being above the law but when it comes down to it, they don't believe it and they don't act on it.

If Biden pardons his son, no one will remember the many ways he upheld important norms during his term. Objections that "this is different" or "pardons are designed for extraordinary circumstances like this" will be blown down with hurricane force by the "see, everyone does it" narrative.

At this moment, when Trump threatens to transform the Department of Justice into a sinister joke, it is crucial that Biden not lend credence to the idea that justice is a sham and that everything depends upon whose ox is being gored. Trump's plan is to obliterate decency, honor, responsibility and every other lofty thing that makes him feel small. Joe Biden must not help him.

Mona Charen is policy editor of The Bulwark and host of the "Beg to Differ" podcast. Her new book, "Hard Right: The GOP's Drift Toward Extremism," is available now.