Why Hunter Biden's Pardon Matters

Joe Biden’s pardon of his son, Hunter, made only brief headlines before people moved on, largely because such things don’t shock anyone anymore. For some, Joe’s decision was in some way justifiable because of their familial connection. Yet, this outlook distorts a grossly corrupt pardon to protect Hunter from the consequences of 10 years of criminal conduct and rewrites that decision as a mere act of love.

We might at least pause to question whether protecting someone from accountability is actually an act of love at all. If Joe were to contemplate as the Catholic that he claims to be, he might consider the fate of his son’s soul. A lifetime of not facing consequences for one’s actions will only lead to more of the same behavior, and serve to prevent repentance. There is a redemptive nature to suffering.

The decade for which Hunter is being pardoned includes two years when he served on the board of Burisma and time wherein he performed international dealings while his father was President. It further includes the time period in which he has been seen on camera sexually with what appear to be children, and when he was actively using drugs. The cocaine found in the White House in 2023 raises eyebrows about his supposed sobriety.

If this were merely about Hunter’s failure to pay taxes, it would be easier to dismiss, but the sweeping nature of the pardon shows that is not the case at all. Those who quickly announced that they don’t care about the pardon are not considering the implications.

This is not just a father doing what he can for a troubled son, it is the sitting President of the United States engaging in corruption to cover up crimes that affected (and perhaps involved) him, as well as more sordid offenses that are egregious enough to merit serious prosecution. Thus, it makes the “justice” system unjust and shows Americans that some people, from the right families, are above the law. That’s not to be discarded lightly. People’s belief that the justice system at least attempts to enact impartial decisions is important in the keeping of the peace. Its endeavor at probity infers a rightful authority of government.

But if we look throughout the rest of the Biden Regime, we see that the system was repeatedly misused to silence and terrify his political enemies. From Steve Bannon to the January 6th protesters (some of who were arrested with armored vehicles rolling down their neighborhood streets), there is no shortage of victims of this weaponized administration. Some of those victims’ lives will be forever undermined by their convictions, presuming Trump does not correct the travesty with widespread pardons. Even in such a circumstance, some of the damage cannot be undone. Matthew Perna was just one of those who ended his life while awaiting sentencing. He had entered the Capitol building through an open door that day, and had done no damage. Still, he was prosecuted, turning his life into disarray, and he succumbed to despair.

The damage from medical neglect that inmates suffered in DC jails is in some cases irreversible. Lawsuits detail how jail guards refused those on necessary medications access to the pills that they needed, causing chronic conditions to worsen, and how their access to doctors was deliberately deferred. Ryan Samsel was severely beaten by correctional officers, resulting in permanent blindness in one eye, a skull fracture, and a detached retina. He was not alone in reporting such physical assaults by correctional officers in DC jails. Defense lawyer Joseph McBride explained, “There is a pattern of abuse and of targeting of the defendants who are being held pursuant to what happened on Jan. 6.”

Enrique Tarrio is serving a 22-year sentence. He did not kill someone, as such a term might imply. He sent affirming text messages on January 6th—and more importantly, he was the chairman of the Proud Boys. The Proud Boys had provided physical protection for conservatives since 2012, when college campuses became violent spaces for speakers like Ann Coulter, and college security either refused or failed to do their jobs. The Proud Boys thus became enemy #1 for the violent Left, because they were unable to shut down speakers they didn’t like via violence and intimidation, and because the Proud Boys represent a decisively masculine force. Ultimately that is why Enrique is serving what amounts to a life sentence, despite not even attending the January 6th protest.

While Hunter’s pardon is being presented as an outlier, it is actually merely a continuation of a pattern of distorting the legal framework for his own ends. His administration leaves a trail of destruction in the lives of his enemies. Let us not allow the construction of a narrative in which Joe Biden is presented as a paragon of virtue who broke that mold out of love for his son. Nothing could be further from the truth.