President Joe Biden says he will not pardon his son Hunter Biden if he's convicted on gun-related charges

I'm sad it's news when a president/presidential candidate announces something totally reasonable.
- I’m always disappointed hearing news about Biden. So boring and normal. Where did my emotional rollercoaster of reading the news when Trump was president go?
  Dark brandon better beat that facist dumbass come november though.
- He probably would’ve announced this anyway, even if politics were much more normal than they are now
  If politics were "more normal than they are now" it wouldn't have been a statement he would need to make.
  It's a pretty low bar that a politician shouldn't be assumed to be abusing their power.

I think this action likely lowers Hunter Biden's chances of winning the presidency to zero for 2024. Not that Hunter Biden is even running for President, but from everything the GOP say, they certainly think he is.
- Impeach Hunter Biden!
- I dunno. Perhaps the GOP will vote for him if he’s convicted? They seem to go for that sort of thing.
- Idk, have you tried showing his dick to a bunch of people, in the fucking halls of congress?
  I don’t like this timeline

I'm just waiting for the first republican to criticize Biden for not caring about his son enough to pardon him.

Cool. But you legally can. But you probably shouldn't.
Okay. Cool. Good call.
- honestly the 'pardon' ability needs to go away completely. maybe it made sense before, and/or wasnt abused, but now it just seems prepped to be a tool to release your fellow felons in crime.
  
  Clemency is a useful tool, it just needs reform. Some states require it to go through a committee rather than just handing the power to a single official. There are probably other ways to curtail abuse as well.
  
  That's only if criminals are elected. Biden used the pardon in 2022 and 2023 to pardon many minor weed related offenses.
  
  They can be useful for things like spy exchanges, but I do agree the system as it exists is ripe for abuse
  
  It's cool if it is a bullshit crime. Like smoking a joint, pardon everyone convicted of that.
  
  The way American politics are going, you need a full reset. There is no power that is not being abused but powers are needed for a government to work
  
  The point of being able to issue pardons is that Biden should have been pardoning everyone who's in prison for smoking weed. Too bad Biden's a little bitch who won't use the office of president to do much good.
  Vote for him tho

Donald Trump announced shortly after that he too would never pardon his son Eric. He was quoted as saying "I never liked that kid."
- "I don't care for Eric."
- Not sure about Eric, but he has assaulted Jr over wearing a sports jersey.
  
  it was a yankees jersey though so that makes sense

I feel like if the shoe was on the other foot (Don Jr in trouble) Trump is bitch and moan that it was politically motivated and a witch hunt and then pardon him.
- Just like that moron did with other criminals that should not have been pardoned. BTW now that that piece of shit is a convicted felon, we should start to undo anything he ever touched while in office. All those pardons he did, send them the fuck back to prison. Just like how crooked cops have their previous cases under scrutiny.
  
  Yeah! Time for Afghanistan 2! /j But for real, we can't just broad brush this thing. While most of it was shit, probably several things were decent things that got through in spite of the administration's ineptitude.
  
  You realize the office of the US President is involved in important things in the world, and isn’t just a vehicle for revenge against a former President?
- Feels like he'd only act if was Ivanka or something that would also cause trouble for him. Trump isn't afraid of dumping anyone
  
  Like a real crime boss, Trump never, ever dumps on family. No one else is safe, but the wife and kids are sacrosanct.
  Now that I think on it, the man does indeed seem to have a single moral. How odd I'm just now seeing it.
- One of the few cronies he didn't pardon was Cohen, and look how that worked out for him, lol.

Republicans will attack him either way.
Pardons Hunter:
"Biden is abusing the legal process for his son! Biden crime family! Reeeeee!!!"
Refuses pardon:
"Biden doesn't even love his son enough to pardon him! Reeeeeee!!!"
- Which is why there is no dialogue with people arguing in bad faith.
  And we as a society need to recognise that, and act accordingly.
  
  Baseball bat to the larynx?
  
  Debating with a MAGA person is literally like arguing with a toddler. They react impulsively, with only feelings, and disregard logic and facts. The difference is a toddler still has a chance at growing up...
- Nah, they don't want to draw attention to Biden not abusing the justice system for personal gain, because it undercuts the whole "he's abusing the justice system for personal gain by prosecuting political rivals!" It would absolutely be a counter productive strategy.
  
  You think the average GOP constituent is capable of making that connection? Lol

As a semi competent politician its obvious 1) you have to say this and 2) you do your upsetting pardons after the election
- Check out the brain on Brad

He won't need to. They're in the wealthy class so the son won't get much jail time if any. Nobody interested in hiring him would give a fuck about this conviction.
We have a two-tier system. It has been obvious for a while, but Donald getting $1,000 scoldings for sending Trumpanzees after the court's staff and family has shone a spotlight on the discrepancy.
- There's always been a 2-tier system, through all nations and all times.
  One of my favorite parts of Noble House, set in 1840s Hong Kong, was a Chinese guy disgusted with the English notion of "equal under the law". "Of course there are different laws for the rich and poor! Why else would I strive to be rich?!"
  I think on that now and again.
  
  "Some day I might be rich, and then people like me better watch their step!"
  
  It’s like a 100-tier system. Society is hierarchical.
  
  I tried many, many times to read Noble House, but it was too long for me to get through it.
  Anywho, if I remember, wasn't it set in the twentieth century?
- Pretty sure the judge had his hands tied for the max fine he could dole out to Trump. Still a problem that should be fixed but it's not cause of the judge.
- How on earth are trying to both sides this lmfao
  Learn to read
  
  A leftist that points out inequality inherent in the system? What a strange thing to encounter on Lemmy. I'm positively flummoxed as to how this came about.
  
  It isn't a "both sides" thing, it is a class thing. The wealthy never face consequences unless they personally perform some heinous act, and even then it isn't guaranteed.
  
  Maybe you shoukd, Please re read his last paragraph
  
  I sympathize with being sick of bothsidesers, but I don't think that's what I'm doing here. The justice system is unfair as it is. Dems aren't doing enough but Repubs want to make it even worse. If youths came out to vote in every election we wouldn't be stuck with these two choices, but there is very clearly just one sane choice.

Literally the only answer to this question, though. He can't say he will pardon him, politically it would be terrible and it might impact the trial itself. And he can wait until after the election and pardon him then, even though it will mean he was lying now.
I don't think this comment is particularly newsworthy.
- It's newsworthy when Trump is out here saying that he's going to go scorched earth on anyone who has ever wronged him.
- "Breaking news: Old man not entirely senile yet"
  
  “Old man’s PR staffer has half a brain”

- Not pardoning him would piss them off more and gives them zero firepower on the topic..
  Edit: legitimate firepower anyways...they would still claim some bullshit about he's a bad dad and doesn't protect his son or some garbage like that.
  
  Honestly, there's a contingent who would dislike him less if he used a pardon to protect his son
- I would just commute the sentence so I didn't technically lie.
- Just pardon one hour or $1 off whatever he has to do, just to flex.

Fox News: "Biden weaponizing justice department against own son!"

Eh, I'd do it on the last day for grins.
- If he loses then he definitely should, one last fuck you to Trump since our boy Joe won't get another chance.
  
  This. He should have said, “I’ll only pardon my son if I lose the election. Voters, it’s in your hands now.”
- Day after the election.

Why does Joe Biden not simply say the Deep State arrested his Son and then Pardon him and Blame any and all NEGATIVE Media on the Deep State too?
- Biden's voters aren't dimwitted cultists.

Does he need to for what is likely to result in the standard well-to-do white guy punishment of a small fine and community service?
And when he does, watch a bunch of other rich white guys complain that he's only being let off because he's the president's son.
- He was only investigated because he's the president's son

The dude bought a gun while high off his ass on crack. If it were anyone else, the Dems would be up in arms about the person not being arrested while the Republicans would be defending his right to bear arms. I'm not seeing too many people saying Hunter should be let free.
- I'm not saying he should be let free, but I am saying they're clearly seeking a disproportionate penalty than what most people get, because it's politically motivated.
  
  That could never happen in America, come on now
  
  I'm finding it hard to find any useful statistics for sentencing on the specific crime he did. Do you have any way to back up that claim about the penalty being disproportionate? All I can find is sentencing guidelines that seem to be pretty much written into the law so those would apply to everyone.
- From what I've read, we routinely arrest people for drug charges who turn out to be longtime addicts and who have "legally" purchased guns. It happens all the damned time, there are rarely any significant repercussions, and nothing about this stands out about this case except who the guy's father is. And I'm not saying he shouldn't be held accountable for a crime, in just taking accepting to your "if it were anyone else" line.