this post was submitted on 02 Dec 2024
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Summary

President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden, prompting strong backlash from Republicans.

GOP lawmakers criticized the move as an abuse of power and an attempt to avoid accountability, with figures like Rep. James Comer and Sen. Chuck Grassley calling it hypocritical and corrupt.

Biden defended the pardon, citing “selective prosecution” and claiming Hunter was unfairly targeted due to their family connection.

Hunter faced convictions for federal gun and tax charges.

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[–] [email protected] 197 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Well, y'all mfuckers put a convicted felon, a rapist, a fraudster and a con artist as your president, so shut the fuck up.

[–] [email protected] 54 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

You forgot the worst one, which is "fascist wanna-be dictator."

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

"Wanna-be" is no longer needed.

He is a fascist dictator.

To them : god king emperor

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[–] [email protected] 101 points 3 weeks ago (21 children)

I’m not pleased at the prospect of Republicans doing the same thing in four years, after the corruption of Trump’s second term, and then pointing their fingers at this… but, to anyone with half a brain and at least one eye… Hunter wasn’t in politics, wasn’t directly appointed to his staff or a representative in any fashion within the White House, and the gun and tax crimes are small fries compared to anything the Trump family and stooges are or have been up to.

[–] [email protected] 122 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Prospect? Trump handed out pardons like candy to far worse people who happened to aligned with his politics. After 8 years of seeing Trump rat-fuck norms and laws and precedent and unjustly go after his family and get away with everything, while everyone else tries to play by the rules, Biden is probably asking himself why he has to let his son risk prison when he knows everyone in the incoming administration wouldn't even give a second thought to pardoning.

I don't support it, but I get it. This is the kind of shit America voted for, right?

[–] [email protected] 20 points 3 weeks ago

Haven't seen this linked yet so I'll leave it here: https://www.justice.gov/pardon/pardons-granted-president-joseph-biden-2021-present - (25 pardons, 26 pardons including Hunter) https://www.justice.gov/pardon/pardons-granted-president-donald-j-trump-2017-2021 - (144 pardons)

(Got distracted counting Trumps pardons, may be off by a few)

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[–] [email protected] 60 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (7 children)

Roger Stone, Steve Banon, Dinesh D'Souza all sorts of other crony based pardons were already done in Trumps last term.

Your Pearl Clutching the inevitable (as of it will now be Bidens fault) is ridiculous, and out of line.

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[–] [email protected] 49 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Prospect? Where have you been? Did you miss when Trump pardoned Jared Kushner's father?

Prosecutors alleged that after Charles Kushner [Jared Kushner's father] discovered his brother-in-law was cooperating with federal authorities in an investigation, he hatched a scheme for revenge and intimidation.

Kushner hired a prostitute to lure his brother-in-law, then arranged to have the encounter in a New Jersey motel room recorded with a hidden camera and the recording sent to his own sister, the man’s wife, prosecutors said.

In fact, this man who "pleaded guilty to 18 counts including tax evasion and witness tampering" has now been nominated to be Ambassador to France by Trump. There is no "prospect of Republicans doing the same thing in four years." They've been doing it for the last 40+ years already. You just haven't been paying attention.

It's about time the Democrats got of their damn high horse and got down in the mud and started fighting like they mean it.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Don Jr did cocaine in public at the recent Space X launch and not a peep out of the mainstream media, much less police.

If a policeman saw a black man outside a night club do what Don Jr did, he would have been arrested on the spot and immediately thrown in jail.

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 3 weeks ago (6 children)

Did you forget Trump pardoning several war criminals and others in his cabinet who directly worked with foreign adverse governments?

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[–] [email protected] 90 points 3 weeks ago (10 children)

These two posts on my front page right beside each other.

Get fucked Republicans. You have no moral high ground here.

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[–] [email protected] 68 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I think Biden should use his pardon power for good. I don't have a huge problem with this, but I want him to do something unexpected. Biden should pardon all the married immigrants after his program was recently shot down in court. For those that don't know, Many immigrants are married to US citizens, but cannot achieve citizenship that you normally would be able to do. It hinges on entering the country Illegally, which requires them to leave for up to 10 years before re applying for citizenship. Biden could pardon the "crime" of illegal entry, this removing the INS statue of not allowing them citizenship.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

See the problem with that is. While the president can try to pardon unlawful entry, unlawful entry is a civil offense, meaning, you aren't even entitled to a court appointed lawyer. So the supreme court might try to weigh in on pardons for civil offenses.

But even if the pardon is all legit and pass the supreme court, it doesn't matter, in immigration law, all arrests, all convictions, any juvenile proceeding within the past 5 years, are all visible to USCIS and they are legally allowed to consider them when determining whether or not to allow someone to enter the US, whether or not to deport them, or whether or not to allow adjustment of legal status. Yes ALL records, even pardoned, even if sealed or expunged by court, they see everything. You can visit the USCIS website and see for yourself.

Edit: And oh, even if you are never arrested, but the FBI investigated you a few times, USCIS might have access to those and if the FBI agents wrote bad things on your file, you might have problems with immigration or naturalization. Yea its quite fucked up, but it is what it is.

[–] [email protected] 59 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Everyone needs to play the same game they do.

Is it hypocritical, yeah probably, does he have any reason to answer for it? Naw

Trump just put Kusher in a role .. a person he pardoned for ... "preparing false tax returns, witness retaliation, and making false statements to the FEC" per his own statement.

Right.

[–] [email protected] 36 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

People voted this kind of behavior into office, repeatedly. Anyone clutching pearls right now can fuck off.

I sure as hell wouldn't want my son at the mercy of Trumps DOJ.

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[–] [email protected] 36 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

Who fucking cares. trump did far worse and kushner walked away with a couple billion and not one person in the government or media batted an eyelash. We’re in a post factual society.

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (14 children)

I seriously think he should do a LOT of other shitty things Trump set the precedent for. Like perhaps seriously abuse that presidential pardon thing that Trump invented.

Like, I don't know, I'm just brainstorming here, perhaps order the assassinations of the future president and all of the key people circling around him. And then just go all Jesse Pinkman, "yeah! presidential immunity bitch!".

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[–] [email protected] 34 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

Fuck 'em. Let them fume. This is the party that wants to let the terrorists from Jan 6 off with a pardon. The party that thinks donvict can do no wrong.

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[–] [email protected] 34 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

The only people allowed to be outraged on this are Democrats. The Republican party lost their right to be angry about this kinda stupid stuff shortly after they elected a rapist.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

... and someone who did the exact same thing.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 3 weeks ago

I'd argue he pardoned way worse people.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 3 weeks ago (7 children)

Biden had all the justification he needed when Trump indicated he'd target his political opponents if he won.

Anyone complaining about this can fuck off.

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[–] [email protected] 33 points 3 weeks ago

In a perfect world I'd say he needs to let the system work and nobody is above the law, yada yada yada. Clearly this world and country are horribly fucked. For YEARS Republicans have been using the term "Biden Family" to make them sound like some kind of crime syndicate, coming up with "ominous facts" that were not indicative of any actual crime, held an impeachment over President Bidens head for years, distributed naked pictures of Hunter, and interfered with what would've been a simple plea deal, all the while trying to downplay the most corrupt presidency in our history.

Fuck the norms. Fuck ethics. Fuck propriety. The new America requires you to use every tool at your disposal just to get your most basic fucking rights. If Republicans think this is such an abuse of power they can do their fucking jobs for once in their lives and pass some fucking ethics reform. I applaud Joe's embrace of the new normal and I hope other Democrats figure out this is the new normal, whether they like it or not, and stop playing pussyfoot with a party that's been playing "kick the groin" for over 30 years.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Republicans are faux angry. They clearly don't really care about the deed at all. If anything they're gleeful because they get to run around and call Biden a nepotistic liar.

Some Democrats are angry because Biden just handed the Republican a stinky turd that they're going to throw in our face every time someone brings up any of their lies or nepotism.

Many Democrats don't seem to care either, as long as Trump is worse.

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[–] [email protected] 30 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Good. Fuckem. I’d be pissed about it, too, if we had something resembling justice in this country. Let them have aneurysms.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 weeks ago (7 children)

Words have proven futile. If Dems don't play the same game Republicans play we WILL lose this democracy.

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[–] [email protected] 27 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

Conveniently forgetting the fact Trump has literally thousands of pardons lined up for when he gets back in office

How does that saying go? Something like "if they didn't have double standards they'd have no standards at all"

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[–] [email protected] 26 points 3 weeks ago

I would have felt better if Biden was more honest about this. "Yes, this is a blatant abuse of my power, and shouldn't be allowed, but it is squarely within my Official Duties. The Supreme Court says that the only remedy is impeachment. Hey, Mike, I double-dog dare ya to do it!"

[–] [email protected] 23 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

Wow, they can’t even see far enough ahead to when their side is pardoning all the toadies. Shaking my head.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Na… they see exactly that. This is theatrical hand waving so they’ll be able to point to a counter example where the “Dems did the same thing!”

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Definitely a bad look but in all honesty it’s justified.

The right was definitely unfairly targeting Hunter. They were using him as a scapegoat since they couldn’t get to Joe.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 2 weeks ago

Exiting President handing away high profile pardons just before leaving office? I kind of remember when it happened before, and much worse: https://www.vox.com/22238571/trump-pardons-bannon-broidy-corruption

[–] [email protected] 18 points 3 weeks ago

Would this pardon allow Hunter full ability to leave the US and enter into other countries? Because I can totally see Biden doing this as a move to get all of his family out of harms way once Trump takes office and I don't blame them one bit. The Republicans have been very vocal about their vengeance and honestly if this was the reasoning behind the pardon it would be the first time since the election that we've seen the president taking the threat we all face seriously.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

I sorta dont blame them... Its not right, but I dont blame them.

Now, with return of darth cheeto and his ultra loyal crew of apointees, its now a priority to not have any active cases for the saftey of the biden family. 47 may seek vengance for any percieved offense, and the bidens going forward should not expect the DOJ to behave in the interest of justice for a few years.

The GOP can seethe and cope all they want, they laid the groundwork for this use of this sort of behaivior and uncle joe has not used it (at great expense to his sons future prospects, being national news for this long cant be healthy) up until this point.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 weeks ago

And, nobody cares if the Reich Wingers fume about this. Literally, nobody.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

Let em fume..anger is the only thing Magatards understand

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 weeks ago

It's a show.

They know that under standard circumstances there would have been no charges, let alone jail time. But, his name is Biden and they needed to prosecute and get their pound of flesh. Now, when Trump pardons violent felons and murders, as he has done before, they can point to Biden. As if tax evasion is a simular crime.

Performative theatre aided by the media.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Die mad about it, Republicans!

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 weeks ago

Aww fuck those one way princesses.

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