Biden's Shocking Pardon Underlines The Rot

By Gajanan Khergamker

In a move that has left political commentators across the spectrum aghast, President Joe Biden’s decision to grant a full pardon to his embattled son, Hunter Biden, days before sentencing has ignited a firestorm of bipartisan outrage. The decision, which many see as a betrayal of Biden’s vow to ensure impartial justice, raises deeply uncomfortable questions about whether the president’s personal loyalty has eroded the ethical standards of his office.

Republicans, unsurprisingly, have seized the opportunity to lambast the pardon as blatant hypocrisy, drawing parallels to Donald Trump’s own controversial pardons, including those of January 6 rioters and loyalists accused of corruption. Democrats, on the other hand, find themselves grappling with the optics of the move, fearing it undermines their moral high ground in holding Trump accountable for his alleged abuses of power. This politically incendiary decision has turned the focus away from the offenses of the younger Biden and squarely onto the ethical integrity of the elder.

Joe Biden's pardon of his son is being lambasted by all

Colorado Governor Jared Polis, a Democrat, aptly termed the decision a “bad precedent” that threatens to tarnish Biden’s legacy. Indeed, the pardon risks being perceived as justice denied, fueling narratives of a two-tiered legal system—one for the powerful and another for the rest. For voters, it raises a haunting question: Can justice be trusted when it is wielded by those in power to shield their own?

The pardon has far-reaching implications. It emboldens Republican narratives of politicised justice while giving Trump ammunition to excuse his own legal battles, particularly in the shadow of the January 6 insurrection. Democrats, already on tenterhooks over their party’s ability to project accountability and fairness, are now warning that this act arms Trump with a potent defense—why should his transgressions be treated differently?

Biden’s allies, too, are fractured. Some argue that Hunter was unfairly targeted by GOP operatives, while others lament that the pardon provides credence to claims of undue favouritism. The move, whatever its motivations, casts a pall over Biden’s image as a champion of integrity and undermines the moral platform on which he has criticised his predecessor.

Ultimately, the Hunter Biden pardon raises the specter of a dangerous precedent—where personal loyalty trumps public duty, and political convenience erodes justice. As the dust settles, Americans are left to grapple with the unsettling reality that in the high-stakes arena of presidential politics, the lines between integrity and partisanship have grown perilously thin.