Dems clutching their pearls over Hunter Biden

To borrow a phrase that conservatives use when mocking liberals, many Democrats are getting their panties in a twist over President Joe Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter. They say that his fatherly love is a betrayal of the rule of law and will enable Trump to abuse his power during his second term.

To borrow another phrase (abbreviated for consumption in a family publication), what a crock!

Donald Trump gave his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, license to use the White House to leverage $2 billion from the Saudis for his own business. As evidenced by the 2024 presidential vote, the people don’t care.

And then Trump announced plans to nominate Charles Kushner, Jared’s father, to be ambassador to France. Trump pardoned the elder Kushner in 2020 for filing false tax returns and intimidating a witness. According to then-prosecutor Chris Christie, he had hired a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law, videotaped their tryst, and then threatened to send the tape to his sister to prevent the brother-in-law from testifying. Many prominent figures described Kushner’s actions as despicable.

The people don’t care.

Whenever the opportunity presents itself, Democrats form a circular firing squad to take potshots at each other until they sacrifice at least one of their own. They perform this ritual to prove that they have higher ethics, that their hearts are purer.

Most modern civilizations abhor the ancient practice of human sacrifices to appease vengeful gods, but the Democratic Party has kept it as a crucial element of their brand. Numerous Democrats have been pressured to resign when allegations of misconduct emerge, and they are forced out of office without the opportunity to confront their accusers in open hearings.

Witness the fate of former Sen. Al Franken. A 2006 photo surfaced of him making a gesture as if he were going to grope a woman (a fellow performer on a USO tour), and Democrats drummed him out of public office without so much as an Ethics Committee hearing. The stampede against Franken was led by New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. At the time, some observers suspected that Gillibrand was using the controversy to gain a name for herself as a possible presidential contender.

Now, allegations of sexual harassment are very serious. Franken apologized for his actions, which allegedly occurred before he was elected to office. All men in leadership positions need to be made aware that improper treatment of women is not just a casual matter, that even “locker room talk” behavior is not excusable.

But Donald Trump was elected President after his locker room talk became public in 2016. Even worse, he was found liable for sexual assault in a court of law. He was also convicted of 34 felony counts by a jury of his peers. He incited an insurrection against the United States in an attempt to stay in power. He has promised to be a dictator and to use the Justice Department and the military to persecute his political opponents.

The people don’t care.

So, back to President Biden pardoning his son. Fellow Democrats fear that this will taint the party, that they will be seen as using power for personal interests.

First, let’s recall that Hunter Biden was convicted of tax evasion and of purchasing a gun at a time that he was a drug addict. He has since made restitution on the owed taxes. The gun matter would never have been taken to court if his name was not Biden, but Republicans weaponized the justice system against him to weaken the president.

It was an abuse of the system. The President had earlier said he would not pardon his son. But Trump has made it clear he will weaponize the Justice Department to persecute Biden and any other American whom he perceives as an enemy. Trump planned to drag Hunter Biden through even more mud.

It was appropriate to grant Hunter Biden a pardon under these circumstances. This was not just an act of fatherly love. It was a defense for the country against a president-elect who has publicly vowed to be a tyrant and dictator.

Republicans will cry foul for a few rounds of the news cycle. But the story will die. The people don’t care.