To paraphrase a pretty good writer named William Shakespeare: “Will he or won’t he, that is the question.”
The question is whether President Joe Biden will pardon first son Hunter, who pleaded guilty in September to failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes – a crime for which he faces up to 17 years in prison. He was also found guilty in June of lying on a federal form about a firearm purchase.
Time is of the essence as he faces sentencing in the weapons case on December 12th and in the tax case on December 16th.
On Saturday, his legal team released a edged response to the “political prosecutions,” and much of it appeared to be true He addresses his father directly:
In a 52-page paper titled “Hunter Biden’s Political Prosecutions” released Saturday, Hunter Biden’s lawyers criticize the basis of the investigation against their client and argue that he was charged with crimes that would be a normal one citizen would not have committed. Attorneys say Hunter Biden will likely face further unfair threats when President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
The document at times appeared to be aimed directly at President Joe Biden, who has repeatedly said he would neither pardon nor commute his son’s sentences. Hunter has been with his father in recent days in Nantucket, where the Biden family has gathered for Thanksgiving for decades.
Biden has said in the past that he has no intention of issuing a pardon, but at this point that seems strange because, frankly, he has nothing to lose since his political career is already coming to an end.
President Biden says he will not pardon Hunter Biden and will accept the outcome of his son’s trial, no matter what it is.
This is the way. Nobody is above the law.
pic.twitter.com/B0P3WCvUIT– Republicans Against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) June 7, 2024
Related: Joe Biden talks about Hunter’s felony conviction – ‘I will accept the outcome of this case’
IN THE COURTROOM: Hunter Biden admits he committed every element of every crime charged in the indictment
Trump reveals whether he would be willing to pardon Hunter Biden: ‘Very bad for our country’
President-elect Donald Trump has not yet made a final statement on the matter, but as our Rusty Weiss reported, he said in October that he would “not take the matter off the books”:
NOW — Trump on pardoning Hunter Biden: “I wouldn’t take it off the books.” pic.twitter.com/TDT8i2sQ9t
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) October 24, 2024
Hunter’s lawyers argue that he was subjected to unfair prosecution and that they fear Trump will try to prosecute him:
“With the election now decided, the threat against Hunter is real,” the report said. It cites Trump’s statements about cracking down on his opponents as well as statements from Republicans in Congress who have investigated Hunter and other members of the Biden family for years.
“There is no doubt that Trump has said that Hunter is among his enemies,” the report said. “The prospect that Trump will retaliate against the special counsels if they do not take tougher action against Hunter undoubtedly puts significant pressure on them not to let up on Hunter.”
The letter goes on to complain in detail about the exploit of the Justice Department as a weapon against a private citizen. This argument shows an almost unbelievable level of chutzpah, considering that Joe Biden unleashed perhaps the most politicized Justice Department in history on Catholics, Trump, and anyone who was within 100 miles of the Capitol on January 6th .
The question remains: Will he or won’t he? Will this fresh request persuade Joe Biden to go back on his word?
Unless he has private assurances from Trump, the question is, “Why wouldn’t he do that?” I don’t think ethics or the “rule of law” will stop him; We’ve seen what kind of man the leader is, and these things don’t seem to be high on his priority list.
If I were to bet, I would say: Yes, he will pardon his son.
