President Joe Biden faced mounting criticism Monday over his decision to grant a sweeping pardon to his son, Hunter Biden. Opponents cited not only the scope of the pardon itself, but also the extent to which it breaks with the president’s history of extolling the virtues of the pardon policy. the judiciary as a bulwark against abuse of power by the executive.
Biden even addressed these abuses during a speech in July, in which he warned of a ‘dangerous precedent’ created by the Supreme Court decision that expanded the view of presidential immunity.
“This nation was founded on the principle that there are no kings in America,” Biden said in July. “No one is above the law, not even the President of the United States.”
Biden’s comments were in response to the Supreme Court’s July 1 ruling, which expanded the view of presidential immunity, and which he criticized as a fundamental change in the separation of powers.
“Today’s Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity fundamentally changes that,” Biden said in July.
“For all practical purposes, today’s decision almost certainly means that there are virtually no limits to what a president can do,” he added.
PRESENT AND DECLARED: THE SMALL MAJORITY OF HOUSE REPUBLICANS CAN MAKE PRESENCE A PRIORITY
President Joe Biden will deliver the annual State of the Union address in Washington, DC in 2024. (Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images)
In their decision, justices writing for the Supreme Court’s 4-3 majority said presidents are entitled to absolute immunity from any actions taken within the scope of the office’s “core constitutional powers.”
A presumption of immunity also applies to other actions taken during their time in office, they said.
Biden strongly objected to that statement, citing his deep concern about the risks of unchecked power in the executive branch — and the erosion of what he described as necessary parameters for a sitting president.
The presidency, Biden said at the time, “is the most powerful office in the world. It is an office that not only tests your judgment. But perhaps even more importantly: it is an office that can test your character.’
“You are not alone in facing moments when you need the courage to exercise the full power of the presidency,” Biden said in his speech. “You are also faced with moments when you need the wisdom to respect the limits of the power of the office of president.”
TRUMP’S AG PICK HAS ‘HISTORY OF CONSENSUS BUILDING’
President Biden and Hunter Biden arrive in Syracuse, New York (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
Six months later, Biden is confronted sharp criticism from some lawmakers and legal analysts for his decision to pardon Hunter, a reversal from his previous promises, and a sweeping protection covering all federal crimes Hunter Biden “has committed or may have committed” from January 1, 2014 through December 1 . 2024.
In announcing the pardon, Biden criticized the unfair investigation and prosecution of his son, a process he said was “tainted” by politics and led to a “miscarriage of justice.”
“No reasonable person looking at the facts of Hunter’s cases could come to any conclusion other than that Hunter was singled out solely because he is my son — and that is wrong,” the president said in a statement Sunday.
President Biden rejected a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that he said essentially left “virtually no limits” on presidential power. (Getty Images)
But some critics also cited concerns that Biden’s pardon could further erode the public’s view of the Justice Department — lending credence to Trump’s frequent complaints that the Justice Department is a political apparatus that could be ” armed’, rather than a ministry committed to taking action. independent and largely without political influence.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Biden “essentially endorses Trump’s long-held view that the Justice Department is politicized and does not act impartially,” said Republican strategist and communicator Ryan Williams. told Fox News Digital of forgiveness.
Paul Steinhauser of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
