His father did the right thing.
Critics argue President Joe Biden’s pardon of Hunter His son is political nepotism. This is not good for the country, selfish and considered a high privilege. But the actual story is the opposite of nepotism: Hunter Biden was treated worse than the average citizen because of his family ties. It is good for the country when the president speaks out against injustice. President Biden rightly condemned the injustice of his son’s prosecution. His pardon was necessary to prevent the Justice Department from defrauding Donald Trump. Trump will target Hunter for years to come.
I work as a federal criminal prosecutor for the United States Attorney’s Office. for the Southern District of New York for 12 years, during which I handled and prosecuted numerous firearms and tax cases. President Biden has argued that the gun and tax bills for which Hunter was convicted should not be taken into account. I agree. When I was Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division of the Southern District of New York My job is to approve charging and non-prosecution decisions in gun and tax cases. I will not approve criminal gun and tax charges filed against Hunter Biden. Such costs rarely (if ever) arise in similar circumstances.
Prosecutors charged Hunter with lying about his drug addiction when he purchased the firearm. and possessing that firearm while he was a drug addict They were wrong to do so. As a first time offender with no criminal history or history of violent behavior, having only owned a gun for 11 days and not using it. He does not pose a public safety risk to warrant federal firearms charges. Public benefits are gained from addiction treatment. It is not a weaponization. In showing the shame of severe addiction Prosecutors used Hunter’s quotes from his memoirs about overcoming drug addiction against him at trial. They forced his ex-lover to testify and dig up details about his addiction. The presentation of the plaintiffs’ trial was brutal and humiliating.
Prosecutors should not have charged Hunter with failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes during a time when he was suffering from drug addiction. The primary goal of the IRS – to return unpaid taxes – is satisfied when Hunter pays the taxes he owes in full, plus interest and penalties. Charging a criminal offense here does not make sense. Because the tax amount is not too high. His non-payment occurred while he was taking illegal drugs. And he paid the tax back in full. Settlement of civil or criminal disputes would be appropriate.
What is noteworthy is There was a no-crime agreement between David Weiss, the Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney in Delaware, and Hunter, but congressional Republicans are trying to stop it. They opened a DOJ investigation into plea negotiations, held hearings with testimony from case agents and IRS prosecutors, and attempted to intervene in the case before pleading guilty. amid intense political pressure from Republicans Weiss killed the deal. Request and receive special advisory status and charged Hunter with firearms and criminal mischief. As President Biden noted in announcing Hunter’s pardon, A number of his opponents in Congress are credited with bringing political pressure to the process. President Biden is right that Hunter was treated differently. Most criminal defendants do not have members of Congress intervene in their cases to demand harsher treatment. That’s not how our criminal justice system is supposed to work.
If there is reason to believe that Hunter has committed a more serious crime that is reported to be under investigation, such as bribery, money laundering, or illegal foreign lobbying, I would feel much less sympathy for a presidential pardon. But Hunter was never charged with a more serious offense. Weiss investigated Hunter for six years. That’s an unusually long time for a criminal investigation focused on a single person. If six years had passed, Weiss still had no real case against Hunter. Shows that it doesn’t really exist. (Complicating matters is the fact that last February, Weiss charged Alexander Smirnov, a former FBI informant and star GOP witness who testified against Hunter, with false accusations against President Biden and Hunter. Correct that he received a bribe from a Ukrainian businessman)
The lack of a convincing case against Hunter doesn’t mean the Trump DOJ won’t bring bogus charges against him. During the campaign Trump pledges that if elected He will appoint a special prosecutor to “hunt down” the “Biden crime family.” In nominating Pam Bondi as attorney general and Kash Patel as FBI director, Trump has further signaled that he is serious about using the DOJ as a tool to How about personal revenge? At the 2020 Republican convention, Bondi argued that President Biden and his son are corrupt, and Patel recently proposed legalization. “Criminal or civil” charges against Trump’s political rivals When he announced his pardon President Biden said “In trying to destroy the Hunter. They are trying to destroy me—and there is no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough.” He was right.
Now is not the time to cling to norms that Trump is ready to destroy. Political impeachment is coming. And I fear that our democratic institutions will not be able to endure it.
That’s why President Biden’s pardon should not be final. President Biden should use his pardon power to protect others from political prosecution. Just like he used to protect his son. He should condemn Trump’s plans for political prosecution. He should pardon Trump’s political enemies in advance for obstructing Trump DOJ’s politically motivated investigations, in particular. Public servants who draw Trump’s ire in their jobs shouldn’t have to spend valuable time and money protecting themselves from Trump’s lies. and should not tolerate reputational harm. Security risks or the emotional impact of political litigation President Biden alone has the authority to stop other political prosecutions. If it is not necessary before starting the operation, he should use it.
