this post was submitted on 02 Dec 2024
740 points (97.9% liked)

News

23533 readers
4033 users here now

Welcome to the News community!

Rules:

1. Be civil


Attack the argument, not the person. No racism/sexism/bigotry. Good faith argumentation only. This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban. Do not respond to rule-breaking content; report it and move on.


2. All posts should contain a source (url) that is as reliable and unbiased as possible and must only contain one link.


Obvious right or left wing sources will be removed at the mods discretion. We have an actively updated blocklist, which you can see here: https://lemmy.world/post/2246130 if you feel like any website is missing, contact the mods. Supporting links can be added in comments or posted seperately but not to the post body.


3. No bots, spam or self-promotion.


Only approved bots, which follow the guidelines for bots set by the instance, are allowed.


4. Post titles should be the same as the article used as source.


Posts which titles don’t match the source won’t be removed, but the autoMod will notify you, and if your title misrepresents the original article, the post will be deleted. If the site changed their headline, the bot might still contact you, just ignore it, we won’t delete your post.


5. Only recent news is allowed.


Posts must be news from the most recent 30 days.


6. All posts must be news articles.


No opinion pieces, Listicles, editorials or celebrity gossip is allowed. All posts will be judged on a case-by-case basis.


7. No duplicate posts.


If a source you used was already posted by someone else, the autoMod will leave a message. Please remove your post if the autoMod is correct. If the post that matches your post is very old, we refer you to rule 5.


8. Misinformation is prohibited.


Misinformation / propaganda is strictly prohibited. Any comment or post containing or linking to misinformation will be removed. If you feel that your post has been removed in error, credible sources must be provided.


9. No link shorteners.


The auto mod will contact you if a link shortener is detected, please delete your post if they are right.


10. Don't copy entire article in your post body


For copyright reasons, you are not allowed to copy an entire article into your post body. This is an instance wide rule, that is strictly enforced in this community.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Summary

President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden, reversing his prior stance against using executive clemency.

The pardon covers Hunter’s federal gun conviction and tax evasion guilty plea, sparking political controversy.

Biden cited political attacks and a “miscarriage of justice” as reasons for his decision, emphasizing his son’s recovery from addiction and the targeting of his family.

Critics argue the move undermines the judicial process, while supporters view it as within Biden’s constitutional powers.

This decision shields Hunter from potential prison time as Biden nears the end of his presidency.

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] azimir@lemmy.ml 332 points 1 week ago (42 children)

The prior president pardoned a family member who was blackmailing and raping people, then appointed the same criminal to be ambassador to France. I don't give a fuck what President Biden does now. We're a country of criminals and oligarchs now.

[–] electric_nan@lemmy.ml 100 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] alucard@sopuli.xyz 35 points 1 week ago (2 children)

… it’s a big club and you ain’t in it. You and I are not in the big club…

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (41 replies)
[–] Nougat@fedia.io 264 points 1 week ago (11 children)

Critics argue the move undermines the judicial process, ...

Oh shut the fuck up.

[–] mp3@lemmy.ca 141 points 1 week ago

The Supreme Court undermined the judicial system.

load more comments (10 replies)
[–] astrsk@fedia.io 249 points 1 week ago (2 children)

The votes came in. The country chose corruption and “fuck it” politics. At this point Joe just wants to protect himself / family from the coming retribution administration.

[–] clutchtwopointzero@lemmy.world 52 points 1 week ago (2 children)

This is yet another example of Biden just not doing things sufficiently enough. He must issue a preemptive umbrella pardon for himself, as Trump's DOJ, FBI, and CIA will go after him

[–] astrsk@fedia.io 39 points 1 week ago (6 children)

I agree, he should push the limit of what’s possible to force the Supreme Court to rule on the actions, call their bluff, lay bare the hypocrisy officially for all the world to see.

load more comments (6 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Tedesche@lemmy.world 136 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I’ve always found it absurd that presidents possess the authority to grant pardons. It trivializes our judicial system and undermines its integrity. This power should not be vested in the presidency.

[–] Draces@lemmy.world 31 points 1 week ago (3 children)

It's supposed to be a check on the judicial. Are you suggesting it should be vested elsewhere or just not at all? I wouldn't remove any checks on this court personally

load more comments (3 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] cybervseas@lemmy.world 104 points 1 week ago (2 children)

He said he wouldn't but at this point Joe might as well YOLO idk anymore.

[–] Fuckfuckmyfuckingass@lemmy.world 95 points 1 week ago (6 children)

It would be cool if he went out in a blaze of glory that wasn't self serving. Like legalizing weed, arming Ukraine, and just generally trying to fuck shit up for Trump before he gets in.

[–] InEnduringGrowStrong@sh.itjust.works 60 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] adarza@lemmy.ca 38 points 1 week ago

four years of dark brandon would have gotten democrats the trifecta.

load more comments (5 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 99 points 1 week ago (21 children)

Lol.

Most of these comments are a great example of how stupid Americans are.

All my life Dems have been held to a higher standard. I've watched them take the high road so many times while the Republicans went low. Continued to honor decorum when Republicans refused.

And guess what happened?

Americans told them to go fuck themselves and voted for blatant Republican corruption instead.

And now there's a bunch of comments in here whining about how Democrats are corrupt for doing this.

Go fuck yourselves. Clowns.

load more comments (21 replies)
[–] Wrench@lemmy.world 96 points 1 week ago (34 children)

A lot of people here missing the point. We don't care about this because Hunter was the target of a witch hunt. The actual "crimes" weren't impactful at all. The Republicans literally spent 8 years dragging him through the mud, digging for anything that he could be charged with, just because who his dad is. And Hunter didn't even touch politics in the slightest.

The gun charge is the moral equivalent of crucifying someone for having pirated music on their hard drive. It was a nothing crime, never enforced, and the only reason it was in this case was because they happened to find something they could latch onto.

I don't know anything about the tax evasion conviction. If it was serious, then sure, fuck him. But I'd want them going after every politician AND their family with equal vigor. But guess what? They aren't.

That's why most of us don't really care. The man is not important. He holds no position of power, nor has he expressed any intent to. He is not important, except as a whipping boy for their propaganda. And a pardon for such preposterous prosecution is fine with me.

load more comments (34 replies)
[–] ToastedPlanet@lemmy.blahaj.zone 88 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I'm not a fan of the nepotism and I don't plan on defending it. Biden claims he needs to do this to keep his family safe from an unfair system. If he's going to do stuff like this and acknowledge our institutions are flawed how about do stuff for the American people, Ukraine, or anyone without the last name Biden. The peaceful transfer of power to fascism, but his family got theirs leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] hark@lemmy.world 78 points 1 week ago (31 children)

Reading through these comments and seeing people excuse this because trump is worse validates the race-to-the-bottom strategy that republicans and democrats cooperate on. Republicans will keep lowering the bar while democrats will continue hovering slightly above that bar as their only differentiator and we're all on the ride on the way down.

[–] Cethin@lemmy.zip 44 points 1 week ago (2 children)

The gun crime is bullshit. That law isn't enforced on anyone. It's also probably unconstitutional if you follow the conservative understanding of that amendment (which is complete bullshit, but that's beside the point).

Tax evasion, sure. That maybe shouldn't be pardoned but also it's only an issue because he's the president's son. I don't dismiss this, but also I recognize that it's mostly bullshit Republicans drummed up because they couldn't get anything on Biden.

I will point out to every conservative who defends Trump who says anything about this though. Trump is literally a convicted felon, and multiple cases are being dismissed because he was elected. If they think Hunter shouldn't get off free, then they better have some strong reasons Trump should.

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (30 replies)
[–] 0xb@lemm.ee 71 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (13 children)

i would have said 'no' a little while ago but now fuck it, the people have spoken. the problem now is that he isn't doing enough fuckery to benefit the people. supreme court declared that the president is above the law and he isn't doing anything with that. sc did it for trump but biden could and should use it. literally send everything on the dod depot to ukraine, give unlimited funds to solar and wind, forgive every loan and shoot modafukin steve bannon in the face

load more comments (13 replies)
[–] Furbag@lemmy.world 70 points 1 week ago (43 children)

I'm not happy about this. Not one bit. Just like how I wouldn't have been happy to hear about Trump pardoning one of his own kids for breaking the law. As a matter of fact, I'm furious reading some of the comments in this thread.

It shocks me to see people defending this. We fought against the Republicans to prevent misuse of executive powers exactly like this. How the fuck can you sit there and rationalize this while saying it's wrong for Trump to pardon the Jan 6th insurrectionists? or himself for that matter?

This is a black stain on Biden's presidential legacy. It's shit like this that puts wind in the sails of all the crazy Republican conspiracy theorists out there. Now, every single motherfucker who ranted and raved about the "Biden Crime Family" since 2020 was just proven right, just like how all the people who said that Trump's convictions were politically motivated were proven right when Jack Smith dropped the charges. It makes us look like fucking morons and hypocrites.

No, before anyone says it, it is not smart to stoop to their level when basically the only messaging we sent out during the entire 2024 campaign was that we were the morally superior choice. That someone who doesn't respect the rule of law has no business being president. Now, we don't even have that to lean on.

load more comments (43 replies)
[–] yeahiknow3@lemmings.world 68 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (3 children)

Biden could literally dress up like Commando and slaughter the Supreme Court on live tv without “undermining the judicial process.” Can’t undermine something if it doesn’t exist.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] BigMacHole@lemm.ee 67 points 1 week ago

This is SUPREME CORRUPTION! What next? He's going to Appointment Family Members to Government Positions? Allow the Highest Bidders to Buy OVERSIGHT Positions? SELL Pardons? DISGUSTING!

[–] EnderMB@lemmy.world 63 points 1 week ago (2 children)

It's not a great look...but let's be frank. Biden was pushed out of a race he wanted, during a presidency that wasn't all that bad considering what came before. The Dems that wanted him out are now all either infighting, or saying everything is fine and they'll definitely win in four years. Biden's in the last weeks of his job, and when he's lost so much already he probably just wants to ensure his family are safe.

After decades of public service, and being committed to handing power over to someone that's demonized what's left of his family, I'm all for Biden using his last week or two to protect his family and enjoy retirement.

[–] Yodan@lemm.ee 44 points 1 week ago (10 children)

I can't stand this "not a good look" talk when democrats have to basically be squeaky cleak that they can't even own a peanut farm or swear and yet 10 years into the "grab them by the pussy" guy who makes fun of disabled people, women, calls everyone names including his own party... Nobody bats an eyelash. I don't care if Joe Biden lied for his son at this point, Donald pardoned and will continue to pardon dozens of family and staff and insurrectionists. It's ok for Trump to lie about not knowing project 2025 and then immediately hire everyone involved with it days later... But Biden can't lie once. Got it.

load more comments (10 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] anticurrent@sh.itjust.works 59 points 1 week ago (10 children)

I am more shocked by people supporting Biden's action than the action itself

[–] PonyOfWar@pawb.social 46 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (25 children)

It really shows how fucked up and desperate the American political discourse is at this point IMO. Before it was "see how much integrity Biden has for not even pardoning his own son", now it's turned into "Hunter was a political prisoner and victim of unjust persecution" in an instant. No one is willing to admit any faults because the other side gleefully profits from them. I can understand why people do it, but it's a worrying indication for the state of politics in America.

load more comments (25 replies)
load more comments (9 replies)
[–] Gullible@sh.itjust.works 46 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I don’t love it, but I get it

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 44 points 1 week ago (10 children)

That pardon smells fishy, but I can understand that he does not want to leave his son exposed to imprisonment under Trump. Donald has shown time and again that he has no problems in going after weak persons to extract petty revenge.

load more comments (10 replies)
[–] 01011@monero.town 41 points 1 week ago (15 children)

Remember guys, it's not corruption when it's legal...

load more comments (15 replies)
[–] johannesvanderwhales@lemmy.world 39 points 1 week ago (2 children)

On the one hand this is pretty hypocritical. On the other hand I probably would do the same in his position given that trump plans to weaponize the Justice department. Not great but this is the state our country is in now.

[–] octopus_ink@lemmy.ml 34 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

On the one hand this is pretty hypocritical. On the other hand I probably would do the same in his position given that trump plans to weaponize the Justice department.

Seriously. Here's the scenario I put myself in:

  • I'm 82 years old
  • Three close family members, including my first wife and two of my children, have died.
  • I'm being succeeded by someone who has promised to leverage government agencies to attack his political enemies
  • My son has symbolically become one of those enemies
  • I have choices:

 

  • I can wait to see whether my successor does some third world shit to him while he's in prison and be powerless to stop it if he does

OR

  • I can use my current powers to free him, saving him from that fate, and getting more time with my remaining son during my final few years of life.

Fuck I know what choice I'm making.

I understand every single argument about why he shouldn't have done it. I agree with some of them. Still no problem for me to put myself in a state of mind where I do the exact same thing.

Go ahead and come at me if you want, folks. I understand, but I won't be changing my mind. If I'm 82 years old, my son stands a good chance of being abused while in a jail cell after I retire, and I can both avoid that plus also get an extra year+ with my son before I die, with nothing more required than expressing my wish for him to be released, I'm doing it.

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] squid_slime@lemm.ee 38 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (7 children)

Stop with the whataboutism, this is the political class acting in its own interest at no benefit to any of us. If anything this discredits the legal system and is to our detriment.

load more comments (7 replies)
[–] IDKWhatUsernametoPutHereLolol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 35 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I wish presidents can just give legal status to people. Just give everyone currently in the US citizenship status. It'd be epic.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] electric_nan@lemmy.ml 34 points 1 week ago (21 children)

Leonard Peltier? Edward Snowden?

load more comments (21 replies)
[–] nifty@lemmy.world 34 points 1 week ago (45 children)

Good. I hope the democrats play just as dirty and hard as the republicans going forward. We cannot be civil with barbarians.

[–] pjwestin@lemmy.world 60 points 1 week ago (3 children)

I would also like them to do that too, but I would prefer they do it for something other than nepotism.

load more comments (3 replies)
load more comments (44 replies)
[–] aesthelete@lemmy.world 33 points 1 week ago (14 children)

Honestly, who cares? Good for him.

load more comments (14 replies)
[–] HawlSera@lemm.ee 32 points 1 week ago (20 children)

Considering Hunter Biden was the victim of a politically motivated witch hunt, and not an actual criminal. I have no problem with this,

[–] kava@lemmy.world 36 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (8 children)

and not an actual criminal

yeah it can happen to anybody. sometimes you just forget to pay $1.4M you owe in taxes from the millions of dollars of dubious payments from overseas organizations (Burisma Holdings) owned by Russian oligarchs (Mykola Zlochevsky) that just happened to be investigated, tried and convicted of corruption

you know what message this sends to us plebs? they can do whatever the fuck they want. all we can do is sit and watch

load more comments (8 replies)
load more comments (19 replies)
load more comments