In a jaw-dropping move, President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, for tax and gun crimes, citing “war politics” as the driving force behind what he called a politically motivated prosecution. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre doubled down on the narrative during a tense press conference aboard Air Force One, insisting the Justice Department isn’t broadly biased—just when it comes to the president’s son.
Critics across the spectrum, including leading Democrats, slammed the pardon. Colorado Governor Jared Polis called it “disappointing,” while Rep. Greg Stanton bluntly declared, “Hunter committed felonies.” Even Johns Hopkins professor Daniel Schlozman labeled the move “rank hypocrisy,” given Democrats’ long-standing claims of opposing nepotistic favoritism.
Meanwhile, advocates for broader clemency are outraged. Biden’s promise to release marijuana inmates remains unfulfilled, leaving many to wonder why Hunter gets special treatment while thousands languish in prison.
Biden’s pardon raises questions not just about justice but also about the credibility of a president who once vowed no family favoritism. The irony? A president who condemned Trump’s alleged politicization of the justice system just made his own family the exception.
