As criticism of President Joe Biden’s “unconditional,” pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, grows on both aisles, Indian American lawmakers Ro Khanna and Shri Thanedar have spoken out. They argue that the President’s decision empowers President-elect Donald Trump, emphasizing that Democrats were expected to take the lead in limiting the power of pardons.
Congressman Ro Khanna (D-California) noted, “Democrats should have been for reforming and curtailing pardon power from Day 1 of the Biden Presidency. As a father, I empathize with President Biden, but we must be the party of reform whether it’s about the archaic pardon power, opposing super PACs or broad war powers.”
“I can appreciate the emotional burden President Biden faced as a father,” added Shri Thanedar (D-Michigan) noting that “our duty in leadership must always put the country ahead of personal matters.”
According to Thanedar, the President’s decision to pardon his son was a “mistake,” since the decision will embolden the President-elect and his supporters.
On December 1st, President Biden, issuing an “unconditional,” pardon to his son noted, “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 being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted…” adding, “The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election.”
The President, who had previously stated he would not issue a pardon to Hunter and would allow the law to take its course, explained his decision by emphasizing that “raw politics has infected this process, and it led to a miscarriage of justice.” He expressed hope that Americans would understand the reasoning behind his actions as both a father and a President.
Following the announcement of President Biden’s pardon, former President Trump criticized the decision, suggesting Biden should have extended similar clemency to January 6 protesters. On Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Does the pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years? Such an abuse and miscarriage of justice!”
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who had previously joined other officials in affirming that President Biden would not pardon his son, defended the President’s choice, reiterating the context and justification for the decision.
On December 2nd, aboard Air Force One En Route Luanda, Angola, Jean-Pierre pointed out that the President believed “enough is enough,” and arrived at the decision. She mentioned that the President also believed that Republicans “tried to break his son in order to break him.”
She went on to state, “I think he lays out his thought process. He lays out how he came to this decision. He came to this decision this weekend. So, let’s be very clear about that.”
Jean-Pierre reinforced the President’s remarks about the pardon, stressing his belief that his “son was singled out politically,” a sentiment echoed repeatedly over the past several years.
She also highlighted statements from several legal experts, who argued that Hunter’s conviction was politically driven and justified the decision to grant him a pardon.
Jean-Pierre cited former Attorney General Eric Holder, who said, “No U.S. attorney would have charged this case given the underlying facts. After a five-year investigation, the facts as discovered only made that clear. Had his name been Joe Smith, the resolution would have been fundamentally and more fairly a declination. Pardon warranted.”
Former U.S. attorney to the Eastern District of Michigan, Barbara McQuade, said, “Pardon of Hunter Biden is the best interest of justice. Based on the facts, most federal prosecutors would have declined to charge him.”
According to former Watergate Assistant Special Prosecutor Jill Weinberg, “This was one of those cases that called out for clemency. Hunter Biden, first of all, would not ever be prosecuted for the gun crime but for his last name. Hunter has now been sober for many years, and this — and this is a time when it is really appropriate to grant a clemency.”
