Hunter Biden’s Pardon Ruins A Key Democratic Talking Point About The Justice System

In response to Republican complaints about a government “weaponized” against Donald Trump, Democrats had always pointed out Joe Biden’s son faced charges, too.

President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son has undermined an argument Democrats often made over the past two years.

In response to Republican claims the government had been “weaponized” against them, such as by the Justice Department prosecuting Donald Trump, Democrats would point out that the government was also prosecuting Hunter Biden without any interference or criticism from the president.

“Joe Biden never publicly questioned or challenged this prosecution,” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said at a House Oversight Committee hearing last year, noting that Trump criticized the Justice Department for prosecuting his allies and then gave them pardons before he left office.

“President Biden’s traditional and scrupulous respect for the independence of the Justice Department stands in sharp contrast to Trump’s spectacular disrespect for the rule of law,” Raskin said.

At a House Judiciary Committee hearing in June, Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) noted that both Trump and Hunter Biden had recently stood trial and that Trump insisted his trial was rigged while President Biden said he would accept the outcome of his son’s case. Biden also said, repeatedly, that he wouldn’t pardon his son.