In an almost expected move, President Joe Biden has granted pardons to a number of his immediate family members. Without any tangible reasoning, Biden has used his constitutional power indiscriminately, hiding his family from lawful scrutiny. Along with this impulsive action, he has attempted to cloak it with the guise of victimhood, lamenting about his family being subjected to ‘unceasing partisan politics’. His dubious pardoning spree includes James B. Biden, Sarah Jones Biden, Valerie Biden Owens, John T. Owens, and Francis W. Biden.
This recent action further paints Biden as a leader who manipulates power to shield his clan. These pardons were conveniently granted to James Biden, his younger brother, Sara Jones Biden, spouse of James, Valerie Biden Owens, his younger sister, John T. Owens, spouse of Valerie, and Francis W. Biden, another younger brother. These actions, making a mockery of the legal system, unfortunately were taken while he was seated at the Capitol Rotunda, attending President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Biden pompously claims belief in the ‘rule of law’, yet his actions tell a starkly conflicting story. The strength of our legal institutions, he asserts, will triumph over political game-playing. Yet, he overlooks how his very own family has been allegedly skirting the laws. ‘Baseless’ and ‘politically motivated’ are the labels thrown to justify the pardons while entirely overlooking the possibility of tangible guilt. This throws into question the oversight of jurisdictions and the upholding of justice.
Each pardon seems to be a strategic chess move, cleverly designed to prevent his kin from any legal retribution. Despite asserting that the pardons shouldn’t be misconstrued as an acknowledgment of any wrongdoing, he ironically presents an admission of potential guilt. An admission made quite clear by his stammering rhetorical games, trying to blur the line between absolution and the actual commission of a legal offence.
In fact, Biden’s own son, Hunter Biden, had already been controversially pardoned in December over tax evasion and federal gun charges. This happened despite Biden’s own repeated denials of such a course of action. An outright refusal turned blatant about-face, leaving many to question his initial statements and promises.
The elder Biden’s younger companion, James Biden, has particularly attracted criticism. The Republicans have demanded legal action against him from the Department of Justice on serious grounds. The incoming Justice Department now faces strong pressure to bring charges against James for allegedly misleading Congress as part of its impeachment inquiry into the outgoing president and his family.
This stutter-step of pardons can be viewed as nothing more than an explicit testament to the wrongdoings within the Biden family. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, along with his Republican colleagues, has sought to hold James Biden accountable for misleading Congress. A move regarded as ‘influence peddling’, worthy of prosecution under federal law. Their stance, further strengthened by Biden’s preemptive pardoning of James, viewed as a ‘confession of their corruption’.
The issuing of pardons is a desperate attempt to bury potential skeletons in the Biden family closet. Signed on January 19, the pardon document excuses James Biden and the rest of the pardoned family from ‘ANY NONVIOLENT OFFENSES against the United States’ committed between January 1, 2014, and the date of the pardon. However, issuing a pardon in itself questions the legal innocence Biden family enjoys or as it seems, claims to.
The outgoing president also granted pardons to other potential targets of the incoming Trump administration on that same day. A clutch of those pardoned include Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley and several lawmakers serving on the House Jan. 6 committee. This act of pardoning potential targets, although not unusual for outgoing presidents, still draws attention in the shadow of such controversy.
Biden tries to further justify these pardons by invoking the image of ‘dedicated, selfless public servants’ vital to our democracy. However, the pardons seem to divert accountability rather than protect public servants, questioning whether these individuals were ‘faithfully discharging their duties’. Given the controversial actions of the outgoing president, this invocation feels less than genuine.
Despite the political whirlwind, one thing remains inevitable: the sound governance the American people desire continues to be jeopardized under the Biden leadership. His stark misuse of presidential power, especially in pardoning family members who have come under legal scrutiny, is a clear exemplification of this fact.
Instead of setting a precedent of transparency and fairness, Biden’s actions have painted a more challenging and uncertain future for the political landscape. It remains concerning how other leaders being influenced by such actions might further tilt the delicate balance between political power and public responsibility.
In summary, Biden’s stratospheric rise as a democratic leader has been marred by these pardoning actions. His alleged misuse of privilege to shield his family from potential charges exposes a worrying precedent. Many wonder, will this be the enduring legacy of the Biden administration – one etched in personal interests over national integrity?