President Joe Biden is facing growing criticism Monday for his decision to grant a sweeping pardon to his son Hunter Biden, with critics criticizing not only the breadth of the pardon itself but also the virtues of pardoning. The president points out the extent to which he will break with the history of presidents who have praised the president. The judiciary as a bulwark against abuses of power by the executive.
In fact, Biden targeted these very abuses in his July speech. warned of “dangerous precedent” It was created by a Supreme Court decision that expanded the view of presidential immunity.
“This country was founded on the principle that America has no king,” Biden said in July. “No one is above the law, not even the President of the United States.”
Mr. Biden's remarks were a response to the Supreme Court's July 1 decision expanding its view of executive privilege, which he criticized as fundamentally changing the separation of powers.
“Today's Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity fundamentally changes the landscape,” Biden said in July.
He added: “For all practical purposes, today's decision almost certainly means there are virtually no limits on the president's actions.”
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President Joe Biden will deliver his annual State of the Union address in Washington, DC in 2024. (Alex Brandon Poole/Getty Images)
In their decision, the justices for a 4-3 majority of the Supreme Court wrote that the president has the right to absolute immunity from any action taken within the “core constitutional powers” of the office of president. said.
They said the presumed immunity also applies to other acts committed while in office.
Biden strongly opposed the ruling, citing deep concerns about the risks of unchecked executive power and the erosion of what he said is necessary for a sitting president.
Biden said at the time that the presidency is “the most powerful job in the world. It's a test of not only your judgment, but perhaps more importantly, your character.”
“We are not just facing a moment that requires courage to exercise the full power of the presidency,” Biden said in his speech. “We will also face moments when we need the wisdom to respect the limits of the powers of the presidency.”
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President Biden and Hunter Biden arrive in Syracuse, New York (Andrew Caballero Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
Six months later, Biden decided to reverse his previous promise to pardon Hunter and provide blanket protections for Hunter Biden for any federal crimes he “committed or may have committed.” He has faced harsh criticism from some lawmakers and legal analysts for his actions. From January 1, 2014 to December 1, 2024.
In announcing the pardon, Biden criticized the unfair investigation and prosecution of his son, saying the process was “infected” by politics and led to a “miscarriage of justice.”
“No reasonable person considering the facts of Mr. Hunter's case could come to any other conclusion than that Mr. Hunter was chosen solely because he is my son,” the president said in a statement Sunday. That's wrong.''
President Biden slammed the Supreme Court's decision earlier this year, saying it left “virtually no limits” on presidential power. (Getty Images)
But some critics have also raised concerns that Biden's pardons could further undermine the public's view of the Justice Department, saying it is not a department that strives to take action. It lends credence to President Trump's frequent complaints that it is a political machine that can be “weaponized.” independently and with little political influence.
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Ryan Williams, a longtime Republican strategist and communicator, told FOX News Digital about the pardon, saying that Biden said, “Mr. I basically support that opinion.”
Fox News Digital's Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
