“U.S. President Joe Biden said on Sunday he had pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, a reversal after pledging to stay out of legal proceedings against the younger Biden who pleaded guilty to tax violations and was convicted on firearms-related charges. ‘No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter's cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son,’ Biden said in a statement released shortly before leaving for a trip to Africa…

“The grant of clemency said Biden had granted ‘a full and unconditional’ pardon to Hunter Biden for any offenses in a window from Jan. 1, 2014, to Dec. 1, 2024. Hunter Biden faced sentencing for the false statements and gun convictions this month. In September he pleaded guilty to federal charges of failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes while spending lavishly on drugs, sex workers and luxury items. He was scheduled for sentencing in that case on Dec. 16.” Reuters‍

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‍Many on both sides are critical of the pardon:

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‍“It is probably true that one of the crimes charged to Hunter Biden, lying on a form to obtain a firearm, is the sort of thing an average person would be unlikely to face charges over… The other charge, blatantly failing to pay millions of dollars in taxes, is routinely brought against people who are not political targets. That it’s true Hunter Biden was more likely to get caught than the average tax cheat is an indictment of the tax system…

“President Biden’s complaint about the higher standard applied to his son reflects the perspective of myopic privilege. Crimes by family members of powerful public officials are far more damaging to public confidence than similar crimes by anonymous people. Holding them to account through strict enforcement of the law is good and correct… With the pardon decision, like his stubborn insistence on running for a second term he couldn’t win, Biden chose to prioritize his own feelings over the defense of his country.”

‍Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic

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‍“The federal gun crime — lying about being a drug user on a federal form — at the center of his Delaware court case is prosecuted rarely, typically only included in cases that are parts of a larger criminal prosecution. If the president’s pardon was narrowly tailored to the gun case, it would be a thoroughly defensible position…

“Except it isn’t. It’s a blanket pardon covering a decade of activity, a decade which includes Hunter’s incredibly long list of crimes regarding taxes, bribery, sex, drugs and more — more that we probably won’t ever fully know about, thanks to the sweep of Joe Biden’s pen… [This is] an intentional, purposeful move to avoid justice under law — and to save your own skin from your involvement in any potential future investigations.”

‍Ben Domenech, Spectator World

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‍“Yes, Mr. Trump egregiously misused the pardon power during his first term, granting clemency to Stephen K. Bannon, Roger Stone, Michael Flynn and Charles Kushner, his son-in-law’s father, whom he just tapped to be ambassador to France. These sent the message that Mr. Trump will get his cronies off the hook, at the risk of encouraging further unlawful behavior. Yet, no matter the distinctions that one can draw between these cases and Hunter Biden’s, the president — and the Democrats — are the ones trying to defend the system; they damage their worthy cause if they are seen to be exploiting it for their own gain…

“Any Democrat who refuses this week to condemn Mr. Biden’s pardon will have less credibility to criticize Mr. Trump, his meddling at the Justice Department and his choices for key positions in that agency. No one should be surprised if Mr. Trump invokes the Hunter Biden pardon to justify clemency for many more of his allies, potentially including Jan. 6 insurrectionists. With this one intemperate, selfish act, the president has undermined, in hindsight, the lofty rationales he offered for seeking the presidency four years ago and indelibly marred the final chapter of his political career.”

‍Editorial Board, Washington Post

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‍“On May 31, after Trump was convicted of 34 felonies for paperwork violations in which no one was harmed, Biden made a speech. ‘The American principle that no one is above the law was reaffirmed,’ he said. He continued, ‘Donald Trump was given every opportunity to defend himself...and it was heard by a jury of 12 citizens, twelve Americans...After careful deliberation, the jury reached a unanimous verdict...That's how the American system of justice works.’ And here's the key point he sought to make: ‘It's reckless, it's dangerous, it's irresponsible for anyone to say that this was rigged just because they don't like the verdict.’…

“Six months later Biden is singing a very different tune… ‘Raw politics has infected this process’ is just Biden's way of saying the system is rigged. By his own metric, this is reckless, dangerous and irresponsible. After all, his son also got a fair trial. His son also was convicted by a jury of twelve Americans. Those jurors treated Hunter just as they would have treated anyone else… Joe Biden, by claiming the system really is politically rigged, just gave Donald Trump an opening big enough to drive a truckload of J6 pardons through. He can tack that onto his already embarrassing legacy.”

‍John Sexton, Hot Air‍

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‍Other opinions below.