USA After the Biden pardon: Much criticism, cautious understanding

The surprising pardon of his son Hunter by outgoing US President Joe Biden has triggered a range of reactions - from cautious understanding to harsh criticism.

The Democrat, who had previously emphasized several times that he did not want to take this step, used his presidential power to end the proceedings against his son just a few weeks before the end of his term of office.

Biden's term of office ends on January 20 with the handover of power to President-elect Donald Trump, who already governed the USA from 2017 to 2021.

Sharp criticism from Republicans

Criticism came from Republicans in particular. On his Truth Social platform, Trump spoke of an "abuse and failure of justice" and drew parallels with the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, after which many of his supporters were sentenced to prison. Trump described them as "hostages".

His eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., accused Biden of deliberately carrying out the pardon after the election. Other Republicans also expressed their outrage, including Congressman James Comer, who accused Biden of lying and "corruption".

Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who is to take on an advisory role for Trump's future administration, commented: "Fate loves irony... But it hates hypocrisy."

Biden defends decision

In his statement on the pardon, Biden defended his controversial decision by saying that his son had been treated "unfairly" and had been specifically singled out by political opponents in order to harm him. "No reasonable person can come to any other conclusion than that Hunter was singled out simply because he is my son - and that is wrong," explained Biden. He had wrestled with himself for a long time before making the decision.

The accusation of using the judiciary as a political weapon is reminiscent of Trump's argumentation, who repeatedly described the proceedings against himself as "unlawful" and called for an end to the "political instrumentalization" of the judiciary.

Unusual period of time

The pardon of his father protects Hunter Biden from ever being charged at federal level for possible offenses of the past decade. It goes far beyond the specific charges he has previously faced and includes any "offenses against the United States" that he "may have committed or been involved in" between January 1, 2014 and December 1, 2024.

According to the news magazine "Politico", there are hardly any comparable cases: According to experts, such a comprehensive pardon has only occurred once in recent decades, namely in 1974, when Gerald Ford granted a blanket pardon to President Richard Nixon, who had resigned as a result of the "Watergate" scandal, using similar wording. However, this pardon only covered the period from 1969 to 1974 - Nixon's term of office as president.

Mixed reactions among Democrats

Reactions within the Democratic Party have been largely muted, with prominent representatives making hardly any statements. One of the few public critics was Democratic MP Greg Stanton. He wrote on X that he respects Biden, but considers the decision to be wrong: "This was not about political persecution. Hunter Biden committed crimes and was convicted by a jury."

Other Democrats defended Biden by pointing to the numerous charges against Trump. Congressman Eric Swalwell, for example, stated that those who had defended the Republican despite his accusations should stay out of the discussion about Hunter Biden.

Some showed understanding for Biden's actions, but pointed out the problematic optics. Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, for example, who has since left the party, wrote that while the decision looked bad, most fathers would probably act similarly in such a situation.

Hunter's sister, Ashley Biden, defended her father on Instagram: "Thanks, Dad! What they tried to do to my brother is cruel and politically motivated. Period."

Two cases against Hunter Biden

Hunter Biden himself was grateful. US media quoted him as saying that he wanted to use the second chance in his life to help others. Mistakes that he had admitted to "during the darkest days" of his drug addiction had been exploited to "publicly humiliate" him and his family for political reasons.

The 54-year-old son of the president had been involved in two criminal proceedings. In the first case, he was accused of tax offenses, in the second of making false statements when purchasing a weapon - he pleaded guilty in the tax case and was found guilty in the weapons case. In the course of the investigations, many juicy details from Hunter Biden's private life became public.

The sentences for both proceedings were originally due to be announced in December. Although he was theoretically facing long prison sentences, these were considered unlikely due to his lack of previous convictions. Observers such as the prominent US journalist Ezra Klein noted that Biden's decision could also have been influenced by threats from the Trump camp, which had repeatedly and openly announced retaliation against political opponents during the election campaign.

Pardons have a long tradition

Biden's decision is part of a long tradition of pardons by US presidents, which have repeatedly favored close confidants or family members. In 2020, Trump pardoned Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law, who had been convicted of tax evasion and witness tampering. His former campaign manager Paul Manafort and Roger Stone, a long-time confidant, were also pardoned.

Biden's party colleague Bill Clinton also used his presidential power for a relative: in 2001, he granted his half-brother Roger a pardon for a drug offense.

SDA