'No one is above the law': Biden's 'unconditional' pardon of his son covering Burisma years stuns liberals and critics alike



President Joe Biden and other elements of his administration have managed to evade the legal consequences meted out to Americans of other political stripes. Biden apparently figures his son should be afforded the same luxury.

After repeatedly vowing he would not do so, and just months after declaring without qualification, "No one is above the law," Biden issued a "full and unconditional" pardon for son Hunter Biden.

The pardon gives Hunter Biden a pass on any crimes committed between Jan. 1, 2014, and Dec. 1, 2024. This 10-year window of clemency not only lets him off the hook for his felony conviction on gun charges and for his felony tax offenses, but also conveniently overlaps with the Bidens' scandalous dealings with the Ukrainian company Burisma, where Hunter was appointed director in 2014, as well as with the communist state-linked organization CEFC China Energy and other questionable foreign entities.

The brazenness and breadth of the pardon has stunned critics and fellow travelers alike, prompting even CNN and Politico to admit its "extraordinary" and "unprecedented" nature.

'The most lawless administration in history.'

"I am satisfied that I'm not going to do anything," Biden told reporters in June, following Hunter's conviction on federal gun charges. "I said I'd abide by the jury decision. I will do that. And I will not pardon him."

On Sunday — a day after President-elect Donald Trump indicated he would nominate Kash Patel as FBI director Christopher Wray's replacement — Biden signed the pardon for Hunter Biden, suggesting that his son was "treated differently" than other criminals.

"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," wrote Biden. "No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter's cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son — and that is wrong. There has been an effort to break Hunter — who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to break Hunter, they've tried to break me — and there's no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough."

According to Biden, his son — who had an affair with his dead brother's wife; initially refused to acknowledge then attempted to avoid paying child support for the daughter he sired with a former stripper; used illicit substances that would land other Americans in prison; enriched himself abroad using his family brand; and allegedly engaged in an international influence-peddling scheme with his father — is a victim of a "miscarriage of justice."

The pardon clears Hunter Biden for all offenses against the U.S. that he has committed or may have committed, "including but not limited to all offenses charged or prosecuted (including any that have resulted in convictions)," in the 10-year period.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) responded to the pardon on X, writing, "Democrats said there was nothing to our impeachment inquiry. If that's the case, why did Joe Biden just issue Hunter Biden a pardon for the very things we were inquiring about?"

"The most lawless administration in history," wrote Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.).

Trump wrote, "Such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!"

Liz Wheeler, BlazeTV host of "The Liz Wheeler Show," tweeted, "I'm surprised anyone believed Joe Biden when he claimed he wouldn’t pardon Hunter. Obviously that was a lie. Joe was always gonna pardon Hunter. Not because Joe is a 'good father.' Because Hunter was the bagman who collected corrupt money for Joe. I thought everyone knew this."

Politico admitted the pardon is "an extraordinary political act with extraordinary legal breadth" that is "deliberately vague."

'This is a bad precedent.'

Former U.S. pardon attorney Margaret Love told the publication, "I have never seen language like this in a pardon document that purports to pardon offenses that have not apparently even been charged, with the exception of the Nixon pardon," referring to President Gerald Ford's blanket pardon of President Richard Nixon in 1974.

Love added, "Even the broadest Trump pardons were specific as to what was being pardoned."

Samuel Morrison, an attorney who similarly worked in the Office of the Pardon Attorney for over a decade, told Politico, "It is an extraordinarily broad grant."

Morrison suggested that Biden has effectively cleared Trump to go the distance with his own pardons, noting, "It gives him some political cover. I think some January 6 pardons are probably coming — at least some, maybe all."

CNN indicated that the pardon "deepened an entanglement of politics and the rule of law that has tarnished faith in American justice" and "may be seen as a stain on his legacy and his credibility."

The New York Times indicated that Hunter Biden would most likely not have qualified for a pardon recommendation under the criteria used by the Department of Justice's Office of the Pardon Attorney.

Some Democrats and fellow travelers have similarly acknowledged that the play to insulate Hunter Biden from consequence was a grave error.

"I am disappointed that he put his family ahead of the country," wrote Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D). "This is a bad precedent that could be abused by later Presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation. When you become President, your role is Pater familias of the nation. Hunter brought the legal trouble he faced on himself, and one can sympathize with his struggles while also acknowledging that no one is above the law, not a President and not a President's son."

"A selfish and senile old man," tweeted FiveThirtyEight pollster Nate Silver. "Why do you think Trump(ism) gains a following? Well, actually, that's complicated. But part of it is because elites of all political stripes are absolutely out for themselves and complete moral hypocrites. And Democrats stake a claim to moral superiority when Trump does not."

Silver added, "Don't vote for any Democrat in 2028 who doesn't repudiate the pardon within 48 hours."

By pardoning his felonious son, Biden may have done more than just nuke his remaining credibility. He may have transformed into a courtroom foe.

Former U.S. ambassador to Israel David Friedman noted that the "pardon is extremely broad and covers activities while Joe was vice president. This means that Hunter cannot plead the Fifth if asked about his business dealings with Ukraine and China, including his Dad's involvement, because, with his pardon, he has no risk of criminal jeopardy."

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Hunter Is ‘Treated Differently’ By Deep State, But Not How Joe Biden’s Pardon Suggests

At every turn, Hunter received preferential treatment from the bureaucrats tasked with investigating and prosecuting him.

Former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who still owes over $1.5 million in restitution, caught crowdsourcing for a luxury condo: Report



Former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick may be out of federal prison, but that doesn't mean his dealings with the federal government have come to an end. A federal judge has just ordered authorities to seize the money Kilpatrick and his new wife have amassed on a crowdfunding account that they recently created.

According to Fox 2, Kilpatrick's new wife, Leticia, opened an account at crowdsourcing site Plumfund.com to help them raise funds for their new son, Kyng. The page also supposedly listed a second line of funding intended to go toward a luxury condo in Orlando, Florida. Though the account is no longer accessible, as of late last month, the account was active and open to the public and had garnered $1,670 of its $800,000 goal. The account page allegedly requested prospective donors to consider making a contribution of $8,000.

Once reports of the account became public, federal investigators began looking into the fund since Kilpatrick still owes over $1.5 million in restitution to the city of Detroit and the IRS. On Tuesday afternoon, WDIV confirmed that a federal judge had demanded that all funds from the account be seized.

In a recent radio interview with Lloyd Jackson on 760 WJR-AM, Kilpatrick vehemently denied any wrongdoing with the Plumfund account.

"We’re not buying a house, we’re not trying to raise $800,000, we don't want anybody to give $8,000," Kilpatrick told Jackson on air.

"That was a fund that was set up strictly for baby shower gifts. That's all it was," he said. "And there is no site, there is no effort, there's no movement, there's no campaign to raise money for a house."

Whatever the motivation for the account, criminal defense attorney and federal prosecutor Anjali Prashad told Fox 2 that any funds that the Kilpatricks raise would be considered a "substantial resource" that the federal government could then seize to address his government debts.

"The federal government will treat this as something known as substantial resources," she said. "A substantial resource is basically, you win the lotto, you get an inheritance, you get an $800,000 donation, for whatever reason. This is a substantial resource, which the United States of America can then lay claim to."

"There is not a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of Michigan and possibly in the United States of America, who doesn't believe that the good city of Detroit is owed restitution by Mr. Kwame Kilpatrick," she added.

"I think it's great. I think it's great he solicits the donations because then, maybe finally the good people of Detroit can get the restitution that has been ordered."

Shortly before he left office, former President Donald Trump granted Kilpatrick clemency for his federal crimes. However, clemency merely adjusted Kilpatrick's prison sentence to time served. It did not remove his local or federal debt obligations.

Rep. Cori Bush wears '18,000' shirt to State of the Union in bid to pressure Biden to 'start granting clemency now'



Progressive Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri revealed that she is wearing a shirt emblazoned with the number 18,000 to President Biden's State of the Union address.

"My State of the Union fit. 18,000. That's how many people whose clemency petitions are sitting in a backlog, waiting for @POTUS's review. Justice delayed is justice denied. President Biden, we’re urging you: start granting clemency now," Bush tweeted when sharing a photo of herself wearing the brightly colored shirt.

My State of the Union fit.\n\n18,000. That's how many people whose clemency petitions are sitting in a backlog, waiting for @POTUS's review.\n\nJustice delayed is justice denied. President Biden, we\u2019re urging you: start granting clemency now.pic.twitter.com/ruRsQykPqJ
— Cori Bush (@Cori Bush) 1646179439

The lawmaker has been a vocal advocate for defunding the police.

Biden is delivering his State of the Union address on Tuesday as he continues to remain underwater in a variety of job approval polls.

The speech also comes as the Russian invasion of Ukraine has drawn attention around the globe, and Ukrainians struggle to defend their nation.

Several GOP lawmakers announced that they would not attend the president's speech.

"I'm healthy, so I won’t be taking a test for COVID… so I won’t be attending the #SOTU," GOP Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky tweeted.

"I am boycotting the State of the Union on behalf of the American people who were fired because Joe Biden's White House strong-armed private employers to institute illegal vaccine mandates," Rep. Mary Miller of Illinois tweeted.

I\u2019m healthy, so I won\u2019t be taking a test for COVID\u2026 so I won\u2019t be attending the #SOTU.
— Thomas Massie (@Thomas Massie) 1646155176
I am boycotting the State of the Union on behalf of the American people who were fired because Joe Biden's White House strong-armed private employers to institute illegal vaccine mandates.https://dailycaller.com/2022/03/01/house-republicans-not-attend-joe-biden-state-of-union-address-covid-testing/\u00a0\u2026
— Rep. Mary Miller (@Rep. Mary Miller) 1646162098

Fetterman Voted to Put Murderers Back on Streets

Senate hopeful John Fetterman often touts his role in advocating for the release of harmless and "innocent" prisoners. A review of the Democrat's record on commutation cases, however, shows the Democrat has voted to release violent criminals jailed for their roles in brutal murders.

The post Fetterman Voted to Put Murderers Back on Streets appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.

Trump’s Failure To Pardon Martha Stewart Is A National Disgrace

In his final days in office, Trump could have done something to exonerate Stewart of her past injustices brought about by a shared villain in a seemingly backward country. But today, Joe Biden is president, and Martha Stewart is a felon.

Trump Pardons Steve Bannon And Lil Wayne In Random Final Move As President

Trump issued more than 100 pardons and commutations combined on Wednesday morning, just hours before he was scheduled to leave the White House.

Trump's 44 uses of clemency powers seen as a bad thing by critics. Obama granted clemency nearly 2,000 times.



When President Donald Trump announced that he would be issuing a pardon for retired Gen. Michael Flynn, a longtime Trump ally and former national security adviser for the Trump administration, the president's opponents ripped the move as an alleged abuse of the president's clemency powers.

Donald Trump has repeatedly abused the pardon power to reward friends and protect those who covered up for him.Th… https://t.co/s6dk6kZwkB
— Adam Schiff (@Adam Schiff)1606339535.0

Criticism of Trump's use clemency for allies is nothing new. Many observers were upset when he pardoned former Maricopa County (Arizona) Sheriff Joe Arpaio in 2017 for targeting Hispanics while searching for illegal aliens.

With so much alleged abuse of the presidential clemency power, the average news consumer could be excused for thinking that President Trump might have racked up a massive number of pardons (forgiving crimes and restoring civil rights) and commutations (reducing sentences for convictions) over the last four years.

But that estimation would be wrong, as a recent report from Pew Research pointed out.

The real numbers

The truth is that Trump has granted clemency only 44 times, Pew reported.. He has granted 28 pardons and 16 commutations. The president has granted less than 0.5% of all clemency requests.

Trump critics might not like whom the president has pardoned and why, but the Constitution grants him — and every president — the power to do so.

And he's a piker compared to his predecessor.

President Barack Obama issued clemency 1,927 times — including 212 pardons and 1,715 commutations.

And many of Obama's clemency moves were seen extremely controversial at the time, Pew noted:

But Trump is far from the only president who has faced scrutiny over his use of clemency. Obama's frequent use of commutations, particularly for prisoners convicted of drug-related crimes, prompted criticism from Republicans, who said it benefited “an entire class of offenders" and infringed on the “lawmaking authority" of the legislative branch.

Defenders of President Obama's use of clemency power will note that Obama granted only 5.3% of all requests.

But that doesn't tell the whole story. There was a spike in the total number of requests during the eight years of the Obama presidency — 36,544 — nearly three times the previous record number of requests, which was set in 12 years of the Franklin Roosevelt administration.

The reason for the spike, as Pew noted, was that the Obama administration actively encouraged prisoners to request pardons and commutations. They even set up a program called "the Clemency Initiative."

This massive increase in the number of petitions drove down Obama's requests-granted rate.

More from Pew:

Obama's relatively low percentage, however, is largely due to the fact that his administration encouraged federal prisoners to apply for leniency under a program known as the Clemency Initiative. The program, which launched in April 2014 and ended in 2017 when Obama left office, allowed “qualified federal inmates" – those who met certain Justice Department criteria – to apply to have their prison sentences commuted. The initiative led to a surge in petitions and helps explain why Obama's use of clemency tilted so heavily toward sentence commutations, rather than pardons.

Overall, Obama received more than 36,000 clemency petitions during his time in office, by far the largest total of any president on record. Petitions have declined considerably during Trump's tenure.

Prior to President Trump, the lowest rate of clemency requests granted was came during the George W. Bush presidency (2%).