The Real Issue with Biden's Pardon Is One Corporate Media Won't Address
Corporate Media has turned Biden's pardon into a circus, while wholly ignoring where they should actually hold him accountable—and we are all worse off for it
President Joe Biden’s pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, has drawn predictable outrage from political opponents, and even Democrats like Senator Gary Peters (MI) and Congressman Jason Crow (CO-6). Politico, The Atlantic, and The New Yorker all piled on, absurdly claiming that now Biden has “opened the door” to Trump’s abuse of the pardon power.
Really? The man who previously pardoned dozens of convicted war criminals, and his own family, and plans to pardon January 6 insurrectionists—is now emboldened? One must be incredibly dishonest, fatally incompetent, or a combination thereof, to make such a claim. Below I explain a solution to this media failure. Indeed, it is important we recognize that such critiques are indeed an abject failure of corporate media.
But they’re also a failure because while chasing false comparisons, corporate media continues to miss the actual issues for which they should hold Biden accountable. You see, the real issue isn’t whether Biden should have pardoned his son—it’s what he refuses to do for others, because that failure harms us all in devastating ways and we need to talk about it. Let’s Address This.
Where Biden Must Be Held Accountable
Earlier I wrote why I reject the bad faith attacks on Biden for pardoning his son Hunter. Similarly, and because my commitment remains to justice above all else, it is critical we address the sincere critiques of Biden’s decision, and what we must continue to do to hold him accountable to the American people. That begins by calling out the numerous examples of actual hypocrisy in Biden’s decision to pardon Hunter.
Do Rules Matter?
For example, Biden touts respect for rules and norms, even refusing to override the Senate parliamentarian, and even when it meant denying a minimum wage increase for tens of millions of Americans. Yet, when it came to his son Hunter, Biden bypassed the normal pardon process by excluding the Justice Department entirely. “Respecting” the rules to let an unelected bureaucrat prevent economic relief for tens of millions of Americans but ignoring the procedure to help your son is a glaring inconsistency.
But it doesn’t stop here.
Remember the Crime Bill?
Yet more troubling is Biden’s continued defense of policies that harm marginalized communities. For example, Biden authored the 1994 crime bill, which escalated mass incarceration, ballooned the private prison industry, and devastated Black and brown communities. Among many lasting impacts of that racist bill, today over 3,000 (disproportionately Black and Latino) people languish in federal prison for nonviolent marijuana offenses—people who remain incarcerated as a result of Biden’s crime bill. Meanwhile, Biden uses the awesome power of the presidency to shield his son from even a fraction of the consequences of a drug offense.
I have seen zero corporate media stories address this actual hypocrisy, even though it harms countless Americans.
Do Only Some Father’s Matter?
As another example of the double standard at play, Biden speaks emotionally of a father’s duty to protect his child, especially against malicious actors. A fair point. As a father myself I felt that in my core. But inexplicably, simultaneously Biden knowingly sends tens of billions in offensive weapons to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, despite the UN labeling it as ‘consistent with genocide,’ at least two damning State Department reports that Netanyahu is committing war crimes, and CNN reporting that Israel has broken the Lebanon ceasefire more than 100 times. These collective acts that Biden has enabled have resulted in the preventable killing of tens of thousands of innocent children. How can Biden reconcile these indefensible policies with his stated compassion for vulnerable children? Do Palestinian and Lebanese fathers and mothers not love their children the same way Biden loves his?
As I’ve said on record, even to conservative media, I don’t actually blame Biden for pardoning his son of a victimless crime, especially one in which no prosecutor would have sought prison time had Hunter’s last name been anything other than Biden. What I vehemently object to is Biden touting his respect for rules and procedure as tens of millions of Americans are denied economic justice—but forsaking rules to help his son. I object to Biden authoring the racist 1994 crime bill that elevated the war on drugs, the devastating effects of which are felt today by thousands of Americans—but using the awesome power of the Presidency to prevent his son from suffering the consequences of Biden’s own drug policies. I object to Biden citing his fatherhood instinct to protect his son from malicious harm—but knowingly arming a right wing extremist even as that extremist bombs and kills tens of thousands of innocent Palestinian and Lebanese children with American weapons.
So What Are The Solutions?
We must address Biden’s apathy, and failure of media. Below I present a roadmap.
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Demanding Accountability from Biden
On Biden—in his final 6 weeks in office, Joe Biden must act with urgency and courage to begin to rectify some of these injustices he’s enabled. What does that look like?
First, commute the sentences of the 40 people currently on federal death row. We know Trump will end the federal death penalty moratorium. Biden should commute those sentences to life in prison immediately. In fact, Biden has remarkably pardoned zero people on death row throughout his term in office.
Second, immediately commute sentences of the 3000+ Americans imprisoned for marijuana convictions and of anyone convicted of a federal non-violent drug offense. What is it but white supremacy that could allow disproportionately white Americans to become extraordinarily wealthy selling marijuana, while simultaneously disproportionately Black and Latino Americans suffer prison for using marijuana?
Third, uphold US Leahy Laws and international human rights law and stop sending Netanyahu offensive weapons. As mentioned repeatedly, not only is this the right, legal, and moral thing to do, it is also something that vast majority of Americans demand. Stop enabling the mass murder of children should not be a controversial ask.
Fourth, free 79-year-old Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier. Civil rights activists nationwide have called for his release for decades, after he was convicted under a dubious trial of killing FBI agents in 1970. Even Amnesty International calls his conviction and incarceration, “a human rights tragedy.”
Fifth, Biden could fulfill his campaign promises to protect abortion access and cancel student debt with executive orders. Could these be overturned? Possibly. Probably? But that isn’t the point. The point is doing so advances justice and creates significant barriers for MAGAs. It would slow their attempts to install authoritarianism in the years ahead. Why not given women another 6 weeks to protect their healthcare? Why not force Trump to explain to 40 million Americans that he is reshackling them with $1.7T in exploitative student loan debt while he absolves 815 billionaires of $2 trillion in tax cuts they don’t need? Why not fight for these things, instead of comply in advance?
Finally, speaking of fighting, Biden could push the boundaries of presidential immunity, forcing the Supreme Court to restrict him—an essential move to curb the inevitable abuses of a second Trump presidency. We know Trump will push the limits of presidential immunity, and will have a complicit Supreme Court back him up. Why let Trump be the test case? Biden should become the test case and force SCOTUS to keep him in check, thereby keeping Trump in check. Instead, Biden has so far used his authority to bend rules only when his own family is at stake.
Each of the above acts are entirely within Biden’s control. The only stopping him, is him.
Conclusion
Unlike the circus painted by corporate media (note, subscribe to Ground News), the above criticisms of Biden’s inactions are legitimate criticisms. Why? Because Biden’s inactions in the above cases demonstrably hurt tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions, of Americans—and he has the power to single-handedly right these wrongs. Meanwhile, many politicians and most all of legacy media won’t make these criticisms because doing so would require confronting the systemic injustices they’ve helped enable. Protecting Hunter Biden while failing to extend that same grace and justice to millions of others reveals a troubling disconnect between Biden’s rhetoric and his priorities. It must stop, and it is not too late.
If Biden truly believes in justice, he cannot stop at only protecting his son. He must fight to protect all Americans from malicious harm. The presidency is a powerful office—not for selective compassion, but for systemic change. And it is long past time Biden used it.
Indeed, there’s no presidential pardon comprehensive enough to excuse the injustice of inaction.
Thoughtful and realistic analysis of Biden Presidency - Hope the administration pays attention
As a former journalist, I am appalled at the shallowness of some of the mainstream media coverage. Following groupthink is not journalism, but laziness.