@yvonneplant9434 That's your question about the man who blackmailed his sister and her husband so they wouldn't testify against him for even worse crimes? I don't know if he speaks French,but I do know he speaks felon.
@@hmnhntr Blatantly targeting family members of elected officials and making a circus out of the judicial process is also wrong tbh. This wouldn't have happened if Republicans hadn't turned Hunter Biden's legal troubles as a private citizen into a public scandal to defame the president.
@@hmnhntr it depends why. Pardoning so family member, friend or similarly close person doesn’t have to face consequences of their actions? Bad reason. Pardoning because there’s high chance that family member, friend or similarly close person won’t get fair treatment because their relationship to you? Good reason. Only problem is that other people who won’t get fair treatment should be pardoned, too.
Agreed. SCOTUS gave him immunity for official acts. Let's see him use it. Let's see full "Dark Brandon" mode. Democrats are supposed to be "above" doing stuff like this, but every time Democrats are "above" doing stuff that Republicans do freely, the Democrats and the American people lose big time. It's long overdue for Democrats to stop caring about norms and start fighting for real.
You poor summer child. After all this, when the only time Biden breaks the norms it's for his personal benefit, you still somehow have enough copium that he'll actually do anything actually beneficial or helpful You're in abusive relationship with your politicians
It will. It will end here. He's a Democrat. He does not give a shit what happens to anyone else. He's protecting himself. I don't really care that he's done something like this because it's not like the Republicans haven't done a million times worse a million times more often but anyone who thinks this is some last minute thing the man's gonna do to try and protect us before Trump takes over is kidding themselves. None of these people will be negatively affected by Trump's Presidency, they aren't the ones who are gonna die because of Project 2025, and if they gave a shit they wouldn't have wasted so much time getting buddy-buddy with the Republicans.
Why would he? Biden is in a lame duck presidency. He has failed time and time again to make systemic changes to limiting. President’s power. He made decisions that affected confidence in the democrats. He could have pardoned much not people’s, he could have called for rules to limit his power, he didn’t even call for an ethics code for Supreme Court justices until much later. Anything he does now will be ineffectual or too late.
Yep. Crooks are always graded on a curve. Everything in America is corrupt af and rotten to the core. Pointing out their contradiction does nothing, no one's listening.
Really I am an independent But it was nothing compared to all the mostly antagonistic protests and riots your team has supported. 800 to 1400 mostly people had the doors opened for them, and a whole lot of fbi provacateurs and you claim it is something more than that
Thank you. Why should one side be held to a standard while the other throws the rule book out the window and gets rewarded for it? It’s also quite ironic to see Trump and his supporters upset about this.
One side shouldn't be held to a standard. Both sides should be. Just because they're throwing the rule book out doesn't mean we do it too. This doesn't make us as bad as them but it definitely doesn't make us better than we were before this happened... We don't get to just say we're better. We need to be better. We need to stand by our principles if we ever want them to mean anything. Principles are only principles when they withstand challenges.
@@prendes4This might have been a good argument if the Democrats had any principles to stand by but as they continue to show us, the only thing they serioysly care about is protecting their rich donors. Just look at how quickly they pivoted to throwing queer people and Muslims under the bus after they lost
@@prendes4 When principles have been proven to mean nothing, why bother with them? What has principle and ethics actually achieved in the last 30 years in a political space? He’s on his way out the door, he has no plans to run again, and he doesn’t really have to worry about the success of his party, because who’s gonna call them corrupt that weren’t already?
@@prendes4 were we "better" when we let McConnell block Obama's SCOTUS appointment, so he could give Trump three? Were we "better" when we didn't break the filibuster to pass build back better and other important pieces of legislation in the first half of Biden's term, which if passed likely would've secured a second term for Biden, or a Harris win? Principles and decorum are only useful if both sides are following them. If only one side is held to those standards, it's an exercise in futility, because the other is running roughshod while the other is crippling itself. It is possible to "break the rules" and do the right thing, it's called the spirit of the law
Steven Cheung is full of prunes. Look at all the corrupt Repubs Trump pardoned during his disastrous presidency. Trump himself is the most corrupt POTUS in history.
I didn't vote for a felon but I'm ok with Biden pardoning his son Hunter. Afterall 76 million Americans just pardoned Trump for his crimes and elected him to a second term in office so 🤷♂️.
I think Geraldo of all people said it best, "At least he didn't appoint him ambassador to France" Chef's kiss sir, succinct and captures ALL the hypocrisy
It would be interesting if Biden could pardon every illegal alien on the way out for crossing the border or overstaying their Visa... That would be hilarious to see, sure it wouldn't grant them citizenship but it would remove justification for deporting a single person for crossing the border alone.
Joe Biden finally did what the Democratic Party should have done long ago, learned how to have a backbone. Thank you Steve for pointing it out, you are the man!
@@HeadsFullOfEyeballs he's shielding his only surviving son from political persecution at the hands of a vengeful and petty tyrant. he is denying trump access to one of his favorite punching bags. he is protecting his family, political fallout be damned, and that is absolutely "growing a backbone" in this political climate.
"Opens the door", how ridiculous! Can we stop with the collective amnesia and remember that trump has already kicked down that door in his previous term? Can we remember how he SOLD pardons or used them as leverage?
Yep! This isn't going to change a thing about what Trump does. All it does is make it harder for Democrats to stand on their holier than thou pedestal they like so much.
Heck yeah! Race to the bottom, let's go! This is totally a strategy that will ensure a representative government of, by, and for the people. No standards for anyone anymore! F*ck it! Laws are for us peasants only. I feel so much better knowing I'm bound by laws but my betters aren't. Wish I could just not pay taxes and instead spend that money on illegal drugs and firearms... Ah well, wrong dad. U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!
I think they're just mad because Joe and Hunter genuinely care for each other, and most conservatives have broken relationships with their own fathers.
@@steventatlock5443 Race to the Bottom! Joe is losing that race by a mile, Trump has already hit the bottom and dug through it and making plans to DRILL BABY DRILL to see how much further down he can go.
@@steventatlock5443 if you know of a way to make republicans adhere to norms and laws i would dearly like to hear it. as it stands our choices are either play dirty pool with the republicans, or chain ourselves to the bar while republicans kick our asses. the high road has driven us off a cliff, pretending otherwise doesn't save us from landing in the mud at the bottom.
If people have issues with this, maybe they should advocate for tightening up the powers of the Presidency. A system relying on the good behavior of elected officials will be blatantly abused, period.
Exactly ! This is what I was thinking as well. There definitely need to be put laws in place so nothing us dependent on the assumption that people will always do the right thing. Chump being able to run for office again after instigating a COUP ATTEMPT is a very important example if that !!
@@zarakikon6352 Constitutionally speaking he _is_ barred from holding office but the Conservatives on the Supreme Court forced him back onto the ballot so they can have a shameless crime President who will push through Project 2025.
They watched Trump trample the Presidency and did nothing to him during or after that stuck. They will do nothing again, except watch as Trump does even worse this time around. The American Empire is lost. Maybe something better will arise from the ashes.
He knew that Trump was going to go after his child specifically, so now he made sure his son is safe. Good for him. After all, he pardoned him for everything from 2014 to now, didn't he? Not just the stuff he was found guilty for. I think any parent would do the same thing in that situation, what with that maniac coming in with a vendetta.
@@darkthunder301I agree, if Trump becomes what we suspect he wants to become, it will be just like what we have seen in other countries, and we cannot be naive about that. Laws are what an oppressor makes up, and if it isn’t something that can be expedient, then people simply disappear. And 20 years after a regime falls you find a paper trail of mysterious helicopter rides over the ocean or a mass grave is dug up in a remote area. American needs to wake up that the horrors that much of the world has experienced in just the last 250 years can equally be the fate of the Great Experiment.
@@darkthunder301 Tho the thing is, him chippin away at the sanctity of pardon powers wud result in many of his own pardons bein similarly challenged; this is the real intent of this pardon - to stymy Trumps own attempts to abuse pardon power by gettin him to challenge the unilateral power of the pardon
Indeed. Seems people are saying there's been a "sweeping mandate" for such presidential behavior. Good to see the dems giving the people what they voted for. Hope the Bidens enjoy a lovely Christmas together.
@@Goatums After 5 years of the republicans desperately dredging up anything they could find and failing to bring any charges based on the nothing they found, all so they could deflect attention from the real crimes their president provably committed, I hope so too. Hunter may be a pos, but no one deserves that sort of malicious lying going on about them.
Well, finally, .... an occasion where you and I are in complete agreement. There was absolutely nothing to be gained from waiting this long. Once we had all seen the Republican in the House foaming at the mouth screaming wild accusations, we all knew they were out for blood and nothing was going to get them to back off. Period. You get your people out of harm's way and let them go on screaming about how this is some grand injustice. THEY WERE GOING TO DO THAT ANYWAY! Just as they are going to use it against us. These people are out for blood.... ours! And if you don't already think they are going to invent some reason (any reason they can come up with) to justify their insane actions, you haven't been paying attention.
Everyone's acting like this door wasn't blown wide open when Gerald Ford pardoned Nixon. But even that doesn't matter. Things are about to go completely to shit. Everyone shoud do whatever's in their power to protect themselves and theirs. Even outgoing presidents.
I am fine with his pardoning his son. What pisses me off is all of the idiots who suddenly have their heads on fire about it. Trump has been, is, and will be an asshole regardless of Biden pardoning Hunter or not.
@@LostieTrekieTechieI'd care more if Hunter was a sex offender, if he stole from a charity he was running, or ran a sham university that scammed hundreds of people. You know, like our new president.
I totally agree that if Biden didn't do this, Trump would have made some other nonsensical excuse to do whatever the heck he wants to do. But we don't need to hand him the legitimacy he keeps pretending he has. People are upset about this and rightfully so. We don't get to just do whatever we want because the other side is doing it. We don't need to try to be better than them. We won that fight before it even started. But we need to be good by our own standards. We need to maintain our own rules even if the other side doesn't do it.
They put him under scrutiny because he was doing illegal things. People seem more upset that the guy constantly lied to repeatedly, and places like CNN or MSNBC would be playing the opposite tune if it was Trump pardoning someone just because they were related to him.
But he actually did commit those crimes.... "Normally we would have let someone rich and well connected get away with it" is a pretty bad argument. The only one I'm seeing here that's compelling is not letting the Trump DOJ potentially abuse him
@@hmnhntrnot exactly. The MAIN, PROVEN crimes that Hunter was accused of were being on drugs(which he served time for in rehab AND court, and then VIOLATING "PAROLE conditions" by having a gun post conviction, and by reports the gun itself was not even illegal, just kept when it should have been taken because his judgment was compromised. We don't need the government wasting another million dollars to ensure Hunter pays 10K in speeding tickets he MIGHT owe that they couldn't find out about in over 5 years of investigation, everything he was ever involved with is either past statutes of limitations or below notice, the pardon is saving him maybe 5 years and protects him from no "future" behavior, unless he killed a drifter or strangled a stripper or something WTF cares to waste taxpayers dollars on incarceration much less court or investigate. You realize in Texas it is currently legal to kill a woman in 9 months by raping her but ensuring her body will be unable to take the baby to term? Yes the rape is a crime but the actual murder would require your goal to be assessed in court, and nobody has ever been prosecuted for "Death by childbirth". Crimes are punished by laws to prevent future bad behaviour and Hunter isn't going to do or get away with any future crime because of this pardon.
@@michaellane5381Thank you for the clarification, no I was not aware of the exact charges he was brought up on. I had heard it was based on his drug use and foolishly assumed that was what he was being charged with. Yours and a few other comments got me to look more closely at things, and I have less problem with this than I thought. Though I don't think the Texas bit is very relevant?
@@hmnhntr it isn't relevant except to explain that actual manipulation of "laws" actually mean worse crimes are ignored and unable to be prosecuted daily than this pardon allows.
It was an over the top punishment for what should be a misdemeanor in the United States of Guntopia. $100 fine seems appropriate, not a prison sentence. I admire JB for allowing his son to be convicted of this without interference. I’m also fine with him pardoning his son to the extent that he can avoid prison. For the opposition to be upset about this is the blatant hypocrisy I’ve grown to ever expect from them.
Never been this early before holy cow. I also believe this was a smart pardon. Not only was Hunter unnecessarily scrutinized just because Joe was president, but Hunter would have been put through more hell after Joe handed the keys to Trump
We know that Trump had the DOJ try to put Michael Cohen back in prison because of his refusal to withdraw his book, Mea Culpa. This was during Covid after Michael Cohen had been granted a compassionate commutement to home confinement. There's no reason to think that vile malicious orange tyrant wouldn't do something similar to Bidens son. What happened to Hunter Biden was a politically motivated hit job. He's clean and never used the weapon he purchased, he paid his taxes, there's no reason, other than spite (on the part of the Republicans) to punish him further. The pardon is just.
He did the right thing. Hunter was openly and proudly targeted for the abuse to punish his father. Pardons are meant for those who have been unjustly prosecuted. Pardons were made for this exact situation. I applaud it.
"Unjustly prosecuted"? No, he wasn't unjustly allowed to get away with it for being well connected. It's sad that it takes political malfeasance for the system to actually prosecute people like Hunter. He shouldn't be getting forgiven, that scrutiny should be getting expanded to *everyone* as wealthy and well connected as Hunter.
Hunter Biden is on Kash Patel's (and likely trump's) retribution list, so MAGA has plans to continue prosecuting Hunter. I believe the pardon was to head off any further harassment.
@@hmnhntrTrue, but no-one cares. People just elected an openly corrupt politician who lies and gaslights constantly, and is now filling his cabinet like a mafia boss. Biden isn't ready to martyr his son to Trump's justice system for principles the voting public don't care about, so good on him for pardoning his son.
Republicans have no right whatsoever to talk about Biden not following the rules or acting improperly. Yes they're mad but ask yourself, when aren't conservative mad? I don't like Biden but I gotta give him credit for this move.
Hunter was guilty. But he was also guilty of non-violent crimes, victimless crimes. I would have preferred if Biden had been a bit more blunt about his reasoning, "I pledged not to interfere because I thought America would get back to honoring the rule of law, and I trust the rule of law. However, in light of the recent election, I am no longer convinced the judicial process will serve justice during the next administration, so in that light, I am pre-emptively ensuring fairness as best I can."
Again, asking more for Biden than we've ever asked from Trump and his ilk. Let's just stop this already. I'm not asking another thing from Biden. He's given us way more ethically than any other president before him. He has done enough. Let that man be.
exactly. we all know if harris had won he would not have pardoned hunter. because he could have had faith that the justice system would treat him fairly. with trump at the helm, honestly if i were biden i'd be getting my whole family on a flight to sweden. none of us are safe within these borders.
@@David-f6j7p if Hunter wasn’t related to Joe Biden, would anyone have given fly's fart about what he did? Why shouldn't Joe Biden think that his son will be treated unfairly in every way possible and want to save Hunter?
@@David-f6j7p For non-violent crimes that people are rarely prosecuted for. Hunter has not been treated fairly and it would be even worse under Trump. I wouldn't trust my child's life with an incoming administration that has already promised to go after him.
I heard someone say he was mad because Biden went back on his word: I say, if you don't change your way of thinking when the conditions change then you're doing it wrong.
My god, thank you, again, Steve. You’ve put to words the frustration I’ve been feeling regarding the Democratic Party for the last, I dunno, 40 years. All the shenans we see on the right are a result of not having a true opposition party, loyal or not. Who gives a fuck what they do/think, indeed. Certainly not me.
Honestly, my whole reaction was a tired "makes sense, protect him from Trump as best you can." As much as I want to stick to my "moral high ground," I can't say I would do any different in his situation, leaving my child in the hands of people I already know hate me and mine.
Pardoning his son likely saved his life. It's not hard to picture a repeat story of how the prison guard took an unscheduled break and the cameras happened to have stopped working...
While I agree with this, if Trump becomes who we think he will, laws will not matter: guilt, innocence, pardons, time served, these aren’t the concepts a dictator follows, they are what they say they are. You don’t have to be in a prison cell to have a suicide staged. You can also disappear off the street like what has happened time and time and time again in history knowing anything about literally every other example of this sort of ruling class.
Right? At this point I think it's safe to say the hunter would have been pretty much tortured under the Trump administration but Trump deserves it a hundred times as much. A man saving his own son from likely torture is what any good father would do if they could. God knows Trump would and he barely notices his own son's existence. Trump would have made an example of him in some ungodly way, I'm almost certain of that. I seriously doubt Trump will pardon all Jan 6th offenders either because some of them have said bad things about him. Trump knows his former supporters are his biggest threat, they are the ones who tried to take shots at him and one was almost successful.
In the last 10 years there have been just over 12,000 cases of 'lying on a gun application', TWELVE of which went to trial, FOUR of which resulted in convictions, and ZERO of which led to jail time. I don't have the stats in front of me on # of cases RE: Back Taxes but generally you're asked to pay the back taxes + interest and it doesn't escalate from there unless you refuse. I am *not* defending Hunter but truthfully the only reason he faced as much 💩 for this as he did was because he's Joe's son and republicans are petty.
3:47 They're not hostages, they prisoners for the crimes they did. I get that Trump is uses to getting away with crimes so the idea that anyone doesn't get away with crime is not a thing to him, but sometimes when you do crime you do time.
And remember when Trump negotiated the "pardon" of 5000 Taliban fighters, which enabled the Taliban to organize as he drew down troops and reverse decades of American effort the SECOND we drew down enough? On the scale of 'bad moves', I'll put pardoning one harmless guy on a paperwork charge pretty low on my outrage list.
Screw the highground. Biden needs to give blanket pardons to everybody in his administration and everybody who tried to hold Trump and his cronies accountable. Trump promised to go after everyone.
After 5 years of lies, specious accusations, and a complete failure to show anything resembling real evidence, which continued even after he basically turned himself in, all to serve an amazingly obvious attempt to deflect attention away from T's provable crimes that T already pardoned people for helping with, Yeah. Hope they have a nice xmas together, whatever I feel about Hunter personally.
@ well if they were capable of self reflection, they’d be like “well played sir, we just elected a felon that has hinted at pardoning other felons that tried to steal an election for him. You can have this one.”.
@@kostyatszyu It's hilarious that you think that the inevitable pardoning of hundreds of violent criminals would be in response to this, and that he wasn't just going to do it anyway.
@@shawnwales696 under fascists none of the names mean what they are supposed to mean "ministry of peace", "department of truth", "ministry of popular culture", "ministry of public enlightenment"
@@alistairmackintosh9412 The "was" there was in reference specifically to how Hunter would have been treated. It WILL still be horrible, but Hunter won't be at their mercy.
@@AmariieMaerthos laws as we understand them won’t even matter soon enough. This won’t necessarily keep Hunter safe if we get the reality the electoral college asked for.
Exactly. We literally lost the election to a CONVICTED FELON who had more charges on the way and has openly pardoned worse people and has openly expressed interest in pardoning more still worse people. We don’t get to have all these arguments about “oh but what if-“ no. We lost. Our only worry now is how not to lose again. We can cry about all our principles all we want but if we never win again, then it doesn’t matter. The American people voted in this election and SHOWED YOU they care more about the economy and “change” more than ANYTHING ELSE. When will it click for the top brass/old guard of the Democratic Party that their playbook is outdated?
Dude, no one's mad about the Hunter Biden pardon. Absolutely no one. Trump saturated the airwaves pardoning Marvel Super Villains, whereas Hunter Biden filled out an application incorrectly. And now the media is laying it thick on Biden with, "But you said you wouldn't!" See that's another thing that Trump saturates the airwaves with: self contradictions. No one ever questions him on these contradictions because the Republicans can be completely awful whereas the Democrats must be flawless.
Worse, Hunter purchased that gun because he was suicidal. The girlfriend got rid of it because she knew he was too. What the Republicans did, in order to bait Biden, to his only living son, was absolutely awful.
For me to be _mad_ about it, it would have to be unexpected. But I do think that it's bad when oligarch failsons get away with things that would ruin a poor commoner's life.
Also why don't we bring up the three judges that Trump appointed saying that they wouldn't do anything against abortion because President has a right to be there in the supreme Court's decisions and then what did they do
Well said, Steve. No reason to try to adhere to customs that the incoming administration has no respect for. Meet the opposition where they are, not where we wish they were mature enough to be.
Also if you are a loving father of a child who has been in trouble & is facing further trouble, wouldn't you, if you could, help them out, despite everything?
@@shawnwales696Ford only became President through a series of flukes that would get you laughed out of a producer's office if you tried to write a movie treatment that used them. His career was that of a midling important congressperson. Anything beyond that was the dumbest of dumb luck.
@@shawnwales696 I mean, his approval ratings were already at the bottom of the tank. What's going back on a promise that you repeatedly lied about when asked going to hurt?
This twilight feels like the start of a roller coaster when the padded restraint comes down and I go “Did I actually agree to do this? Too late either way.”
So excited to see you here! Yeah, I feel like I'm buckling up for one hell of a ride. But I'm glad a Democrat finally did something that made the conservatives clutch their pearls in hypocrisy. I feel like the left always tries to play by the rules, and is a little too gentle. Sometimes you just gotta fight fire with fire. In light of the circumstances, this was the right thing to do, and it's a little scary that the circumstances have gotten so dire, that THIS was the right thing to do. Stay safe in this crazy world.
If Trump hadn't been elected, I would be mad that Biden pardoned his son. But with Trump's talk of reprisal, I think he did what was safest for his son.
As one of your Canadian fans I'll just continue to stand on my side of the border and stare south in pure abject horror at the entire system down there.
I do think it is an abuse of power (to be fair, I don't even think we should have presidents, let alone presidents with this much power.) At the same time, Hunter's crimes aren't that big, nor is he part of the political sphere. Also, I would have done the same thing. If I were 80 years old, on my way out the door of the presidency, sure I would protect my family. I'm also not even the tiniest bit willing to listen to even a single word from any republican or Trump voter. They have no grounds to stand on or offer even a hint of a whiff of criticism about this.
two things one. I agree with you on the fact that this is a flawed-but-understandable decision. Two. Genuine curiousity, what's your idea for the replacement of President? Bc I've never heard someone suggest getting rid of the office altogether, given pretty every modern country either has either an executive or ceremonial president or monarch. What's your alternative? I'm a politics nerd, so I'm interested.
@@roryaphunter I'm not a big politics person, but I hate the office of the presidency and the overreach of the power of the executive branch. It is entirely breaking the whole checks and balances idea. Replacement? At the moment, replaced by the presidents cabinet, but make those elected positions. (2nd step, reduce the powers and severely reduce the privileges of the executive branch. No way should they be appointing supreme court justices.) If the president was more ceremonial and not constantly expanding its power decade after decade, I wouldn't have a problem with it. The modern US president is far more powerful than any king or emperor in history has ever been. It's not good that we surrender all our collective power to one person the way we do, even if done by voting.
@@roryaphunter Just to chime in, Prime Minister would possibly be a better option as they can generally be fired much easier and hold a lot less power. If the UK suddenly dissolved the monarchy and its figurehead "King" would anything really change. We have the Executive Branch in addition to the already Parliamentary system that is Congress.
A long four years? I surely hope it will only be four years. I hope our vote will still count in the next 2-4 years. Otherwise it will just be theater like voting for Saddam Hussein and those of his ilk.
I did and I do. I'm not 'mad', it's just annoying. I'm much more mad at some of the justifications I'm seeing from people. Protect him from the Trump DOJ, fine. But "normally someone like Hunter wouldn't be tried at all" is a frustrating excuse. Just like "he shouldn't have done it because it empowers Trump to do the same" is a frustrating reason to be mad about it.
@@hmnhntrPeople do the same things Hunter did and don't catch charges. What did he do? He didn't pay his taxes untill he did and he lied on a gun application. Even had a plea deal worked out that got nixed because of political pressure. If he was anyone else other than Joe's kid he would have gotten what everyone else gets when caught doing the same thing and they comply, nothing.
Hello, please allow me a question in this context: Being from Europe I did not follow the history of US presidents closely. So, I just recently read that former presidents did pardon relatives, too. If I remember correctly these were R. Nixon and B. Clinton. How did the public, the media and the political opponents react back then? Thanks for a clarification and greetings 🇦🇹🇩🇪
@renater.540 There were complaints back then. Not to the extent of this incident. However, we can note that the rules around presidential pardons did not get changed after any of these, so any outrage was merely performative.
Honestly, when I first heard this news, it didn't surprise me. Biden made his claim that he wouldn't pardon his son with the thought that he would possibly be putting on this song and dance for another 4 years. He's bowed out and has nothing to lose, so if he can take a personal win for his family on the way out then I wouldn't fault him for it.
I’m not mad, I just think the fact that he has only flexed like this for something that suits his self interest and not to potentially shore up protections for groups that Trump actively plans to target is deeply frustrating
I think what Biden did was wrong. But it would have been even more wrong to not do it. He could have done the "right thing", and stand up for "equality under the law". For "consistency". For "adherence to the principles of the United States". It would have meant sacrificing his only surviving son. And it would have meant sacrificing him to people who spit on "principles". Principles are important. Sometimes principles are even more important than people. But not in the face of a group that doesn't care about principles OR people.
Good post. I was on the fence but I wasn’t outraged. I also agree that he should have gotten on the I don’t give a f**k train a lot sooner. So many lies and deceit on the part of trump and his followers. It’s a shame that trump won another term to do 4 more years of CRAZY.
Justice Roberts says that Biden can not give a fuck a whole lot harder than this, so I don't think it's in Republicans' best interests to be complaining.
Not all people who call it X are fascists. I never had a dog in that fight and I find it hilarious how Musk destroyed that app. Blue Skies, smiling at me. Nothing but blue skies, do I see!
Thank you for your words. I am still working through the grief / rage portion of this measure and it's going to take a while. Your words are a balm. Thank you.
My reaction to the pardon from here in Ireland? Well duh!!!!! A father protects his son. Look at the pardons Trump doled out to those in his term who had done his bidding. More are coming in his first weeks.
The executive pardon is a check on the judiciary, because sometimes the judiciary gets it wrong. I see this pardon as the system working as intended. The issue is that the people sometimes elect corrupt executives (and representatives and senators) against their own interests.
We can't survive if one side is allowed to flagrantly violate laws and the mos maiorum for their own advantage while the other is expected to follow the letter of the law and norms even while they get tossed in jail on trumped up charges.
He should also pardon all the people in jail on low-level drug offenses that he helped put there. The fact that he doesn't, that's why I'm mad. They're in jail for political reasons too, all these politicians and their "tough on crime" drug war crap. But their dads aren't president, so they stay in jail.
@@symbiat0there is a case to be made that Joe’s Tough On Crime phase when he was a Senator was a political move to get support from conservatives. Clinton did Don’t Ask Don’t Tell as a compromise and an appeal to the right in exchange for his financial policies. The War On Drugs started with Nixon as a way to target Hippies and other counterculture elements. So yeah, drug use charges are always political.
@@symbiat0 I don't think "this will help me get elected" is a good political motive for locking people up for using drugs. As the other commenter already said, Nixon's staff straight up admitted the war on drugs was started to beat up on and disempower Nixon's political enemies - POC and college students. Biden in the 90's pushed tough on crime legislation that tore up families coast to coast because it helped him with the "moderates" when getting elected, he's had every opportunity as president to decriminalize marijauna and pardon drug offenders who's lives HE helped destroy. It's just telling what Biden and the Democrats will go out on a limb for, and what they won't. They'll break all norms to pardon Hunter, but then they'll hide behind norms and not overrule the Senate parliamentarian to vote on a minimum wage hike.
Trump pardoned Jared's father and now he nominated him for ambassador to France. Spare me the crocodile tears.
He doesn't speak any French, right?,
@yvonneplant9434 That's your question about the man who blackmailed his sister and her husband so they wouldn't testify against him for even worse crimes? I don't know if he speaks French,but I do know he speaks felon.
@@Harry-xt6ev You always know a troll will pop up on these channels every so often. I'm surprised they can read the name of the video.
Aren’t you the party that also says two wrongs don’t make a right?
@TananBaboo That shit went out the window when the felon and Elon bought the election.
I have no problem at all with Biden pardoning his son.
The Democratic Party expends too much energy worrying about what the Republicans might think.
Exactly.
Oh-KAY!
I don't care because I'm worried about Republicans think. I care because I think pardoning family members is wrong
@@hmnhntr Blatantly targeting family members of elected officials and making a circus out of the judicial process is also wrong tbh. This wouldn't have happened if Republicans hadn't turned Hunter Biden's legal troubles as a private citizen into a public scandal to defame the president.
@@hmnhntr it depends why. Pardoning so family member, friend or similarly close person doesn’t have to face consequences of their actions? Bad reason. Pardoning because there’s high chance that family member, friend or similarly close person won’t get fair treatment because their relationship to you? Good reason. Only problem is that other people who won’t get fair treatment should be pardoned, too.
I also hope Biden’s “give no fucks” phase doesn’t end here. Lots more to be done to weaken Project 2025 on his way out.
Amen… says an atheist… 🙃 but absolutely.
Agreed. SCOTUS gave him immunity for official acts. Let's see him use it. Let's see full "Dark Brandon" mode.
Democrats are supposed to be "above" doing stuff like this, but every time Democrats are "above" doing stuff that Republicans do freely, the Democrats and the American people lose big time. It's long overdue for Democrats to stop caring about norms and start fighting for real.
You poor summer child.
After all this, when the only time Biden breaks the norms it's for his personal benefit, you still somehow have enough copium that he'll actually do anything actually beneficial or helpful
You're in abusive relationship with your politicians
It will. It will end here. He's a Democrat. He does not give a shit what happens to anyone else. He's protecting himself. I don't really care that he's done something like this because it's not like the Republicans haven't done a million times worse a million times more often but anyone who thinks this is some last minute thing the man's gonna do to try and protect us before Trump takes over is kidding themselves. None of these people will be negatively affected by Trump's Presidency, they aren't the ones who are gonna die because of Project 2025, and if they gave a shit they wouldn't have wasted so much time getting buddy-buddy with the Republicans.
Why would he? Biden is in a lame duck presidency. He has failed time and time again to make systemic changes to limiting. President’s power. He made decisions that affected confidence in the democrats. He could have pardoned much not people’s, he could have called for rules to limit his power, he didn’t even call for an ethics code for Supreme Court justices until much later. Anything he does now will be ineffectual or too late.
Typical… they’re enraged about Hunter but ignore DJT and his cronies.
No it's good™, whether fascist or feckless liberal, our leaders are corrupt and willing to abuse power for their own personal benefit.
Many of whom have often been quick to say "Why do you libs always support the criminals?"
Yep. Crooks are always graded on a curve. Everything in America is corrupt af and rotten to the core. Pointing out their contradiction does nothing, no one's listening.
Yep. Reeks of "That's not fair! Only we can circumvent the justice system! Democrats are supposed to play by the rules!" energy.
The irony.
"Oh no, a president did something different than what they said they were gonna do"
Where the fuck have you been????
Republicans decided to disregard norms when they sacked the Capitol.
They did 4 years be4 that when the orange Jesus was 1st in office
Really
I am an independent
But it was nothing compared to all the mostly antagonistic protests and riots your team has supported.
800 to 1400 mostly people had the doors opened for them, and a whole lot of fbi provacateurs and you claim it is something more than that
I'mma need you to type that again in ALL CAPS so people can read it better. At least say it louder for the folks in the back.
Kinda like the Dems allowing the burning and looting of the cities. And Dems encouraging that behavior. Such hypocrisy.
The republicans are thrilled about the pardon…now they can talk about it forever
Thank you. Why should one side be held to a standard while the other throws the rule book out the window and gets rewarded for it? It’s also quite ironic to see Trump and his supporters upset about this.
One side shouldn't be held to a standard. Both sides should be. Just because they're throwing the rule book out doesn't mean we do it too. This doesn't make us as bad as them but it definitely doesn't make us better than we were before this happened... We don't get to just say we're better. We need to be better. We need to stand by our principles if we ever want them to mean anything. Principles are only principles when they withstand challenges.
@@prendes4This might have been a good argument if the Democrats had any principles to stand by but as they continue to show us, the only thing they serioysly care about is protecting their rich donors. Just look at how quickly they pivoted to throwing queer people and Muslims under the bus after they lost
@@prendes4 When principles have been proven to mean nothing, why bother with them? What has principle and ethics actually achieved in the last 30 years in a political space?
He’s on his way out the door, he has no plans to run again, and he doesn’t really have to worry about the success of his party, because who’s gonna call them corrupt that weren’t already?
@@prendes4 Clutch those pearls harder
@@prendes4 were we "better" when we let McConnell block Obama's SCOTUS appointment, so he could give Trump three? Were we "better" when we didn't break the filibuster to pass build back better and other important pieces of legislation in the first half of Biden's term, which if passed likely would've secured a second term for Biden, or a Harris win? Principles and decorum are only useful if both sides are following them. If only one side is held to those standards, it's an exercise in futility, because the other is running roughshod while the other is crippling itself. It is possible to "break the rules" and do the right thing, it's called the spirit of the law
If you voted for a 34-time convicted, twice impeached, insurectionist, you don't get to complain about anything involving the law.
I didn’t. So I guess I get to complain? F Biden. F Trump more, but still, F Biden.
That's right. Well put 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽💯
Steven Cheung is full of prunes. Look at all the corrupt Repubs Trump pardoned during his disastrous presidency. Trump himself is the most corrupt POTUS in history.
Pretty much…and you were just getting started describing the perpetually problematic president elect.
I didn't vote for a felon but I'm ok with Biden pardoning his son Hunter. Afterall 76 million Americans just pardoned Trump for his crimes and elected him to a second term in office so 🤷♂️.
I think Geraldo of all people said it best, "At least he didn't appoint him ambassador to France"
Chef's kiss sir, succinct and captures ALL the hypocrisy
I hope President Biden expands this into "massive dumps" of pardons: preemptively pardon everyone trump plans to target. Make a huge spectacle of it.
It would be interesting if Biden could pardon every illegal alien on the way out for crossing the border or overstaying their Visa...
That would be hilarious to see, sure it wouldn't grant them citizenship but it would remove justification for deporting a single person for crossing the border alone.
Yes! Absolutely needed.
Normally I'd be a little more agnostic on this but given who's going to be running the country soon, I can’t blame him.
Absolutely. Bernie Sanders and AOC and Tim Walz for a start. And Kamala too...... I guess. 😂
I dont think you can pardon something that hasn't happened yet.
Joe Biden finally did what the Democratic Party should have done long ago, learned how to have a backbone. Thank you Steve for pointing it out, you are the man!
Exactly, give no fucks until they do.
@@1MarkKellerFor your own safety don't hold your breath
Not sure how shielding your oligarch failson from the consequences of his stupid crimes is "growing a backbone".
@@HeadsFullOfEyeballs he's shielding his only surviving son from political persecution at the hands of a vengeful and petty tyrant. he is denying trump access to one of his favorite punching bags. he is protecting his family, political fallout be damned, and that is absolutely "growing a backbone" in this political climate.
"Opens the door", how ridiculous! Can we stop with the collective amnesia and remember that trump has already kicked down that door in his previous term? Can we remember how he SOLD pardons or used them as leverage?
Yep! This isn't going to change a thing about what Trump does. All it does is make it harder for Democrats to stand on their holier than thou pedestal they like so much.
Heck yeah! Race to the bottom, let's go! This is totally a strategy that will ensure a representative government of, by, and for the people. No standards for anyone anymore! F*ck it! Laws are for us peasants only. I feel so much better knowing I'm bound by laws but my betters aren't. Wish I could just not pay taxes and instead spend that money on illegal drugs and firearms... Ah well, wrong dad. U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!
I think they're just mad because Joe and Hunter genuinely care for each other, and most conservatives have broken relationships with their own fathers.
@@steventatlock5443 Race to the Bottom! Joe is losing that race by a mile, Trump has already hit the bottom and dug through it and making plans to DRILL BABY DRILL to see how much further down he can go.
@@steventatlock5443 if you know of a way to make republicans adhere to norms and laws i would dearly like to hear it. as it stands our choices are either play dirty pool with the republicans, or chain ourselves to the bar while republicans kick our asses. the high road has driven us off a cliff, pretending otherwise doesn't save us from landing in the mud at the bottom.
If people have issues with this, maybe they should advocate for tightening up the powers of the Presidency. A system relying on the good behavior of elected officials will be blatantly abused, period.
Absolutely! They won't do anything though. They want the same power, or actually more.
💯
Exactly ! This is what I was thinking as well. There definitely need to be put laws in place so nothing us dependent on the assumption that people will always do the right thing. Chump being able to run for office again after instigating a COUP ATTEMPT is a very important example if that !!
@@zarakikon6352 Constitutionally speaking he _is_ barred from holding office but the Conservatives on the Supreme Court forced him back onto the ballot so they can have a shameless crime President who will push through Project 2025.
They watched Trump trample the Presidency and did nothing to him during or after that stuck.
They will do nothing again, except watch as Trump does even worse this time around.
The American Empire is lost. Maybe something better will arise from the ashes.
I expect that if Harris had won he wouldn't have pardoned Hunter.
100% agree.
Agreed
He wouldn't have HAD to.
I’m not so sure. I think these last few months have made him realize that he’s not long for this world.
Yep. If Harris has won Biden could have counted on some semblance of normalcy with DOJ. Who knows what would have/will happen with Trump in office?
Steve: "Who gives a fuck what Republicans think?"
Us: "Republicans think?"
Nice, lol😁
I see whatcha did there. ..
Repugnicans have been playing Eff You politics for decades now.
😂
😂😂😂
Like lizards.
He knew that Trump was going to go after his child specifically, so now he made sure his son is safe. Good for him. After all, he pardoned him for everything from 2014 to now, didn't he? Not just the stuff he was found guilty for. I think any parent would do the same thing in that situation, what with that maniac coming in with a vendetta.
Exactly!1
be mindful, there is nothing that trump can do _legally._ Be warned he may still peruse anyway out of pettiness.
Biden swore to uphold the constitution. Sometimes that means treating your middle aged son like a fellow citizen instead of your kid.
@@darkthunder301I agree, if Trump becomes what we suspect he wants to become, it will be just like what we have seen in other countries, and we cannot be naive about that. Laws are what an oppressor makes up, and if it isn’t something that can be expedient, then people simply disappear. And 20 years after a regime falls you find a paper trail of mysterious helicopter rides over the ocean or a mass grave is dug up in a remote area. American needs to wake up that the horrors that much of the world has experienced in just the last 250 years can equally be the fate of the Great Experiment.
@@darkthunder301 Tho the thing is, him chippin away at the sanctity of pardon powers wud result in many of his own pardons bein similarly challenged; this is the real intent of this pardon - to stymy Trumps own attempts to abuse pardon power by gettin him to challenge the unilateral power of the pardon
I'll care about the president being above the law when the American people do
Indeed. Seems people are saying there's been a "sweeping mandate" for such presidential behavior. Good to see the dems giving the people what they voted for. Hope the Bidens enjoy a lovely Christmas together.
@@Goatums After 5 years of the republicans desperately dredging up anything they could find and failing to bring any charges based on the nothing they found, all so they could deflect attention from the real crimes their president provably committed, I hope so too. Hunter may be a pos, but no one deserves that sort of malicious lying going on about them.
Great comment. I'm gonna share that on Spoutible. Thanks.
Based af
Exactly!!
Well, finally, .... an occasion where you and I are in complete agreement. There was absolutely nothing to be gained from waiting this long. Once we had all seen the Republican in the House foaming at the mouth screaming wild accusations, we all knew they were out for blood and nothing was going to get them to back off. Period. You get your people out of harm's way and let them go on screaming about how this is some grand injustice. THEY WERE GOING TO DO THAT ANYWAY! Just as they are going to use it against us. These people are out for blood.... ours! And if you don't already think they are going to invent some reason (any reason they can come up with) to justify their insane actions, you haven't been paying attention.
100%
Everyone's acting like this door wasn't blown wide open when Gerald Ford pardoned Nixon.
But even that doesn't matter. Things are about to go completely to shit. Everyone shoud do whatever's in their power to protect themselves and theirs. Even outgoing presidents.
and its not like trump didnt pardon a bunch of war criminals and mass murderers
And don't forget that no one (except Nixon) actually voted for Ford.
I am fine with his pardoning his son. What pisses me off is all of the idiots who suddenly have their heads on fire about it. Trump has been, is, and will be an asshole regardless of Biden pardoning Hunter or not.
Does this not undermine some of the shit people were rightfully giving Trump when he pulled similar stunts?
Nope @@LostieTrekieTechie
@@LostieTrekieTechieI'd care more if Hunter was a sex offender, if he stole from a charity he was running, or ran a sham university that scammed hundreds of people. You know, like our new president.
I totally agree that if Biden didn't do this, Trump would have made some other nonsensical excuse to do whatever the heck he wants to do. But we don't need to hand him the legitimacy he keeps pretending he has. People are upset about this and rightfully so. We don't get to just do whatever we want because the other side is doing it. We don't need to try to be better than them. We won that fight before it even started. But we need to be good by our own standards. We need to maintain our own rules even if the other side doesn't do it.
@@LostieTrekieTechie Absolutely it does. This video and many of these comments have the wrong take on this.
I would've done the same thing. They put that man under way more scrutiny than he deserved just because he was the president's son.
They put him under scrutiny because he was doing illegal things. People seem more upset that the guy constantly lied to repeatedly, and places like CNN or MSNBC would be playing the opposite tune if it was Trump pardoning someone just because they were related to him.
But he actually did commit those crimes....
"Normally we would have let someone rich and well connected get away with it" is a pretty bad argument.
The only one I'm seeing here that's compelling is not letting the Trump DOJ potentially abuse him
@@hmnhntrnot exactly.
The MAIN, PROVEN crimes that Hunter was accused of were being on drugs(which he served time for in rehab AND court, and then
VIOLATING "PAROLE conditions" by having a gun post conviction, and by reports the gun itself was not even illegal, just kept when it should have been taken because his judgment was compromised.
We don't need the government wasting another million dollars to ensure Hunter pays 10K in speeding tickets he MIGHT owe that they couldn't find out about in over 5 years of investigation, everything he was ever involved with is either past statutes of limitations or below notice, the pardon is saving him maybe 5 years and protects him from no "future" behavior, unless he killed a drifter or strangled a stripper or something WTF cares to waste taxpayers dollars on incarceration much less court or investigate.
You realize in Texas it is currently legal to kill a woman in 9 months by raping her but ensuring her body will be unable to take the baby to term? Yes the rape is a crime but the actual murder would require your goal to be assessed in court, and nobody has ever been prosecuted for "Death by childbirth".
Crimes are punished by laws to prevent future bad behaviour and Hunter isn't going to do or get away with any future crime because of this pardon.
@@michaellane5381Thank you for the clarification, no I was not aware of the exact charges he was brought up on. I had heard it was based on his drug use and foolishly assumed that was what he was being charged with. Yours and a few other comments got me to look more closely at things, and I have less problem with this than I thought.
Though I don't think the Texas bit is very relevant?
@@hmnhntr it isn't relevant except to explain that actual manipulation of "laws" actually mean worse crimes are ignored and unable to be prosecuted daily than this pardon allows.
It was an over the top punishment for what should be a misdemeanor in the United States of Guntopia. $100 fine seems appropriate, not a prison sentence. I admire JB for allowing his son to be convicted of this without interference. I’m also fine with him pardoning his son to the extent that he can avoid prison. For the opposition to be upset about this is the blatant hypocrisy I’ve grown to ever expect from them.
Never been this early before holy cow.
I also believe this was a smart pardon. Not only was Hunter unnecessarily scrutinized just because Joe was president, but Hunter would have been put through more hell after Joe handed the keys to Trump
We know that Trump had the DOJ try to put Michael Cohen back in prison because of his refusal to withdraw his book, Mea Culpa. This was during Covid after Michael Cohen had been granted a compassionate commutement to home confinement. There's no reason to think that vile malicious orange tyrant wouldn't do something similar to Bidens son. What happened to Hunter Biden was a politically motivated hit job. He's clean and never used the weapon he purchased, he paid his taxes, there's no reason, other than spite (on the part of the Republicans) to punish him further. The pardon is just.
This also makes it so that if Trump wants to try to challenge this pardon; it will only make his own pardons more challengable
@@SylviaRustyFae YES
Not just I'm not mad, I'm glad!!!
I guess if trump hates this he can set an example on how it should be done and take his punishment for his convinced crimes
Ha! Yes! But it won't happen,sadly...
Something about monkeys and flying out of butts comes to mind.
You mean the ones the DOJ dropped ?
amen!
That would be nice if he wasn't the biggest hypocrite on the face of the earth.
He did the right thing. Hunter was openly and proudly targeted for the abuse to punish his father. Pardons are meant for those who have been unjustly prosecuted. Pardons were made for this exact situation. I applaud it.
This sooo much.
"Unjustly prosecuted"?
No, he wasn't unjustly allowed to get away with it for being well connected. It's sad that it takes political malfeasance for the system to actually prosecute people like Hunter. He shouldn't be getting forgiven, that scrutiny should be getting expanded to *everyone* as wealthy and well connected as Hunter.
Hunter Biden is on Kash Patel's (and likely trump's) retribution list, so MAGA has plans to continue prosecuting Hunter. I believe the pardon was to head off any further harassment.
If he was a black person he would have been jail already like his dad would want.
@@hmnhntrTrue, but no-one cares. People just elected an openly corrupt politician who lies and gaslights constantly, and is now filling his cabinet like a mafia boss. Biden isn't ready to martyr his son to Trump's justice system for principles the voting public don't care about, so good on him for pardoning his son.
Republicans have no right whatsoever to talk about Biden not following the rules or acting improperly. Yes they're mad but ask yourself, when aren't conservative mad? I don't like Biden but I gotta give him credit for this move.
Yep, the whole Republican platform is about being irrationally aggrieved about something until they are in a rage.
Hunter was guilty. But he was also guilty of non-violent crimes, victimless crimes. I would have preferred if Biden had been a bit more blunt about his reasoning, "I pledged not to interfere because I thought America would get back to honoring the rule of law, and I trust the rule of law. However, in light of the recent election, I am no longer convinced the judicial process will serve justice during the next administration, so in that light, I am pre-emptively ensuring fairness as best I can."
Again, asking more for Biden than we've ever asked from Trump and his ilk. Let's just stop this already. I'm not asking another thing from Biden. He's given us way more ethically than any other president before him. He has done enough. Let that man be.
I totally agree with both of you.
But now that Biden has pardoned someone close to him, Trump will have no reason to NOT pardon his cronies.......
As if he didn't during his term.
exactly. we all know if harris had won he would not have pardoned hunter. because he could have had faith that the justice system would treat him fairly. with trump at the helm, honestly if i were biden i'd be getting my whole family on a flight to sweden. none of us are safe within these borders.
I'm glad he pardoned him. He would be so vulnerable under the new regime.
@@judi-spiers because he is such an innocent lad.
@@David-f6j7p if Hunter wasn’t related to Joe Biden, would anyone have given fly's fart about what he did? Why shouldn't Joe Biden think that his son will be treated unfairly in every way possible and want to save Hunter?
@@David-f6j7p For non-violent crimes that people are rarely prosecuted for. Hunter has not been treated fairly and it would be even worse under Trump. I wouldn't trust my child's life with an incoming administration that has already promised to go after him.
I heard someone say he was mad because Biden went back on his word: I say, if you don't change your way of thinking when the conditions change then you're doing it wrong.
My god, thank you, again, Steve.
You’ve put to words the frustration I’ve been feeling regarding the Democratic Party for the last, I dunno, 40 years.
All the shenans we see on the right are a result of not having a true opposition party, loyal or not.
Who gives a fuck what they do/think, indeed.
Certainly not me.
“We’re going to have to ration our rage“. Perfectly said.
Thank you, Mr. Steve Shives.
Wholly concur. Thank you for articulating this!
Honestly, my whole reaction was a tired "makes sense, protect him from Trump as best you can." As much as I want to stick to my "moral high ground," I can't say I would do any different in his situation, leaving my child in the hands of people I already know hate me and mine.
Pardoning his son likely saved his life. It's not hard to picture a repeat story of how the prison guard took an unscheduled break and the cameras happened to have stopped working...
That is the exact thought I had when I heard the news.
I have a hunch that this story is gonna repeat itself anyway. I mean there is still Maxwell.
While I agree with this, if Trump becomes who we think he will, laws will not matter: guilt, innocence, pardons, time served, these aren’t the concepts a dictator follows, they are what they say they are. You don’t have to be in a prison cell to have a suicide staged. You can also disappear off the street like what has happened time and time and time again in history knowing anything about literally every other example of this sort of ruling class.
@@la_belle_heaulmiere Trump wants to be exactly like Putin.
What are they gonna do, fire him?
Am official act. Immune from prosecution.
Right? At this point I think it's safe to say the hunter would have been pretty much tortured under the Trump administration but Trump deserves it a hundred times as much. A man saving his own son from likely torture is what any good father would do if they could. God knows Trump would and he barely notices his own son's existence. Trump would have made an example of him in some ungodly way, I'm almost certain of that. I seriously doubt Trump will pardon all Jan 6th offenders either because some of them have said bad things about him. Trump knows his former supporters are his biggest threat, they are the ones who tried to take shots at him and one was almost successful.
In the last 10 years there have been just over 12,000 cases of 'lying on a gun application', TWELVE of which went to trial, FOUR of which resulted in convictions, and ZERO of which led to jail time.
I don't have the stats in front of me on # of cases RE: Back Taxes but generally you're asked to pay the back taxes + interest and it doesn't escalate from there unless you refuse.
I am *not* defending Hunter but truthfully the only reason he faced as much 💩 for this as he did was because he's Joe's son and republicans are petty.
Exactly right, and Kash Patel has been saying for years that he would go after Hunter. Joe didn't want to pardon Hunter, he had to.
3:47 They're not hostages, they prisoners for the crimes they did. I get that Trump is uses to getting away with crimes so the idea that anyone doesn't get away with crime is not a thing to him, but sometimes when you do crime you do time.
Now that's PASSION!!! HELL YES!!!! Thank you Steve Shives!!!
Especially when Trump is about to pardon all the January 6th people, This is nothing
And remember when Trump negotiated the "pardon" of 5000 Taliban fighters, which enabled the Taliban to organize as he drew down troops and reverse decades of American effort the SECOND we drew down enough? On the scale of 'bad moves', I'll put pardoning one harmless guy on a paperwork charge pretty low on my outrage list.
I'm happy that republicans are fuming.
Could not give less of a crap
Screw the highground. Biden needs to give blanket pardons to everybody in his administration and everybody who tried to hold Trump and his cronies accountable. Trump promised to go after everyone.
I’m not mad either. What’s good for the goose is always good for the gander.
Agreed. Trump sure as hell isn't playing by the rules, so it's time for Dark Brandon to play hardball.
Plus, it's his boy for god sake, give me a break.
After 5 years of lies, specious accusations, and a complete failure to show anything resembling real evidence, which continued even after he basically turned himself in, all to serve an amazingly obvious attempt to deflect attention away from T's provable crimes that T already pardoned people for helping with, Yeah. Hope they have a nice xmas together, whatever I feel about Hunter personally.
@@kostyatszyu You say that like he has not already pardoned multiple criminals before this. Get your timeline straight.
The fact that the Republican response is anything but "touche" should be embarrassing for them.
Embarrassment suggests they're capable of self-reflection
@ well if they were capable of self reflection, they’d be like “well played sir, we just elected a felon that has hinted at pardoning other felons that tried to steal an election for him. You can have this one.”.
Republicans, well certainly MAGA Republicans, can never feel embarrassment - they are not capable…
They aren’t capable of anything resembling shame. All they have is manufactured outrage and superiority complexes.
@@kostyatszyu It's hilarious that you think that the inevitable pardoning of hundreds of violent criminals would be in response to this, and that he wasn't just going to do it anyway.
I don't blame him at all. Can you imagine how bad it was going to get with the Justice Department under Trump.
Yes, sadly I can imagine it, all too clearly. They will need to change it to the Department of Injustice.
Not was. Will.
@@shawnwales696 under fascists none of the names mean what they are supposed to mean "ministry of peace", "department of truth", "ministry of popular culture", "ministry of public enlightenment"
@@alistairmackintosh9412 The "was" there was in reference specifically to how Hunter would have been treated. It WILL still be horrible, but Hunter won't be at their mercy.
@@AmariieMaerthos laws as we understand them won’t even matter soon enough. This won’t necessarily keep Hunter safe if we get the reality the electoral college asked for.
Exactly. We literally lost the election to a CONVICTED FELON who had more charges on the way and has openly pardoned worse people and has openly expressed interest in pardoning more still worse people.
We don’t get to have all these arguments about “oh but what if-“ no. We lost. Our only worry now is how not to lose again. We can cry about all our principles all we want but if we never win again, then it doesn’t matter.
The American people voted in this election and SHOWED YOU they care more about the economy and “change” more than ANYTHING ELSE. When will it click for the top brass/old guard of the Democratic Party that their playbook is outdated?
Dude, no one's mad about the Hunter Biden pardon. Absolutely no one. Trump saturated the airwaves pardoning Marvel Super Villains, whereas Hunter Biden filled out an application incorrectly. And now the media is laying it thick on Biden with, "But you said you wouldn't!" See that's another thing that Trump saturates the airwaves with: self contradictions. No one ever questions him on these contradictions because the Republicans can be completely awful whereas the Democrats must be flawless.
Yes.
Mad? Not really.
Disappointed? Yeah...
@@Sephiroth144 Not even disappointed
Worse, Hunter purchased that gun because he was suicidal. The girlfriend got rid of it because she knew he was too.
What the Republicans did, in order to bait Biden, to his only living son, was absolutely awful.
For me to be _mad_ about it, it would have to be unexpected. But I do think that it's bad when oligarch failsons get away with things that would ruin a poor commoner's life.
Also why don't we bring up the three judges that Trump appointed saying that they wouldn't do anything against abortion because President has a right to be there in the supreme Court's decisions and then what did they do
All three lied to get into SCOTUS. That is a disgrace and we should never stop talking about it.
@@ronjaj.addams-ramstedt1023 Along with the bullshit Mitch McConnell pulled to take Garland's seat and give it to ACB.
Yup, this!
They all committed perjury.
Well said, Steve. No reason to try to adhere to customs that the incoming administration has no respect for. Meet the opposition where they are, not where we wish they were mature enough to be.
perfect response, Thank you!
Fantastic job here Mr. Shives! Yep, we should have taken the gloves off a long time ago! I'm with ya, we are all in this together.
Perfectly said! Thank you Steve! Anyone on the left bitching about this needs to watch this video!
Also if you are a loving father of a child who has been in trouble & is facing further trouble, wouldn't you, if you could, help them out, despite everything?
Apparently some of the democrats still think the incoming wolves won't eat _their faces_
🤦🏻♂️
Not a single person is mad, its all just posturing.
FFS. Ford pardoned Nixon. This is hardly a precedent. Good for Biden.
At least this won't ruin his career like pardoning Nixon wrecked Fords. Hopefully he can retire in relative peace.
@@shawnwales696Ford only became President through a series of flukes that would get you laughed out of a producer's office if you tried to write a movie treatment that used them. His career was that of a midling important congressperson. Anything beyond that was the dumbest of dumb luck.
@@shawnwales696 I mean, his approval ratings were already at the bottom of the tank. What's going back on a promise that you repeatedly lied about when asked going to hurt?
@@NanashiAkai why don’t you go drink some more Kool-Aid with the other MAGAts??
@@shawnwales696 He will and he will be remembered as a great president in the US. In Europe in 20 years time nobody will remember him.
Thanks!
This twilight feels like the start of a roller coaster when the padded restraint comes down and I go “Did I actually agree to do this? Too late either way.”
Hey Tay. Don't worry, it was a roller coaster already set on fire before we were born. Just focus on helping the people you know 💗
So excited to see you here! Yeah, I feel like I'm buckling up for one hell of a ride. But I'm glad a Democrat finally did something that made the conservatives clutch their pearls in hypocrisy. I feel like the left always tries to play by the rules, and is a little too gentle. Sometimes you just gotta fight fire with fire. In light of the circumstances, this was the right thing to do, and it's a little scary that the circumstances have gotten so dire, that THIS was the right thing to do. Stay safe in this crazy world.
If Trump hadn't been elected, I would be mad that Biden pardoned his son. But with Trump's talk of reprisal, I think he did what was safest for his son.
Agreed.
Biden did the right thing.
As one of your Canadian fans I'll just continue to stand on my side of the border and stare south in pure abject horror at the entire system down there.
Nailed it.
I do think it is an abuse of power (to be fair, I don't even think we should have presidents, let alone presidents with this much power.) At the same time, Hunter's crimes aren't that big, nor is he part of the political sphere. Also, I would have done the same thing. If I were 80 years old, on my way out the door of the presidency, sure I would protect my family. I'm also not even the tiniest bit willing to listen to even a single word from any republican or Trump voter. They have no grounds to stand on or offer even a hint of a whiff of criticism about this.
two things
one. I agree with you on the fact that this is a flawed-but-understandable decision.
Two. Genuine curiousity, what's your idea for the replacement of President? Bc I've never heard someone suggest getting rid of the office altogether, given pretty every modern country either has either an executive or ceremonial president or monarch. What's your alternative? I'm a politics nerd, so I'm interested.
@@roryaphunter I'm not a big politics person, but I hate the office of the presidency and the overreach of the power of the executive branch. It is entirely breaking the whole checks and balances idea. Replacement? At the moment, replaced by the presidents cabinet, but make those elected positions. (2nd step, reduce the powers and severely reduce the privileges of the executive branch. No way should they be appointing supreme court justices.) If the president was more ceremonial and not constantly expanding its power decade after decade, I wouldn't have a problem with it.
The modern US president is far more powerful than any king or emperor in history has ever been. It's not good that we surrender all our collective power to one person the way we do, even if done by voting.
@@roryaphunter Just to chime in, Prime Minister would possibly be a better option as they can generally be fired much easier and hold a lot less power. If the UK suddenly dissolved the monarchy and its figurehead "King" would anything really change. We have the Executive Branch in addition to the already Parliamentary system that is Congress.
A long four years? I surely hope it will only be four years. I hope our vote will still count in the next 2-4 years. Otherwise it will just be theater like voting for Saddam Hussein and those of his ilk.
I'll say the same thing here I have elsewhere. If you didn't complain about the pardons Trump gave his cronies you have no right to complain now.
I did and I do.
I'm not 'mad', it's just annoying. I'm much more mad at some of the justifications I'm seeing from people.
Protect him from the Trump DOJ, fine. But "normally someone like Hunter wouldn't be tried at all" is a frustrating excuse. Just like "he shouldn't have done it because it empowers Trump to do the same" is a frustrating reason to be mad about it.
@@hmnhntrPeople do the same things Hunter did and don't catch charges. What did he do? He didn't pay his taxes untill he did and he lied on a gun application. Even had a plea deal worked out that got nixed because of political pressure. If he was anyone else other than Joe's kid he would have gotten what everyone else gets when caught doing the same thing and they comply, nothing.
Or the child murderers he pardoned.
Hello, please allow me a question in this context:
Being from Europe I did not follow the history of US presidents closely.
So, I just recently read that former presidents did pardon relatives, too.
If I remember correctly these were R. Nixon and B. Clinton. How did the public, the media and the political opponents react back then? Thanks for a clarification and greetings 🇦🇹🇩🇪
@renater.540 There were complaints back then. Not to the extent of this incident. However, we can note that the rules around presidential pardons did not get changed after any of these, so any outrage was merely performative.
Trump pardoned his son in law's father. This is a nothing burger
Duidnt he also appoint him to his cabinet?
He will be the ambassador to France @@KonsoleFaust
@KonsoleFaust yes.
And that was also bad.
Yeah, but that was probably to hook up with his son in law's wife.
Well said, my friend. I couldn't have said it any better. Thanks man.
Honestly, when I first heard this news, it didn't surprise me. Biden made his claim that he wouldn't pardon his son with the thought that he would possibly be putting on this song and dance for another 4 years. He's bowed out and has nothing to lose, so if he can take a personal win for his family on the way out then I wouldn't fault him for it.
THANK YOU for saying what we are all thinking. Keep it up. We need your voice!
I like it
Joe said F*** it all haha
Joe isn't wrong. Hunter had a guilty plea in place only for the judge to throw it out and order a trial.
Thank you Steve. That was so cathartic to listen to and expressed my feelings that I couldn't.
People are living in la-la land if they think that "only now" would pardons be a passed out like candy...
He just saved his son from the the unjust procecution of the incomming Trump DOJ.
I’m not mad, I just think the fact that he has only flexed like this for something that suits his self interest and not to potentially shore up protections for groups that Trump actively plans to target is deeply frustrating
I think what Biden did was wrong. But it would have been even more wrong to not do it.
He could have done the "right thing", and stand up for "equality under the law". For "consistency". For "adherence to the principles of the United States".
It would have meant sacrificing his only surviving son. And it would have meant sacrificing him to people who spit on "principles".
Principles are important. Sometimes principles are even more important than people. But not in the face of a group that doesn't care about principles OR people.
Well said.
Good post. I was on the fence but I wasn’t outraged. I also agree that he should have gotten on the I don’t give a f**k train a lot sooner. So many lies and deceit on the part of trump and his followers. It’s a shame that trump won another term to do 4 more years of CRAZY.
I like how you are putting out more high quality videos nowadays. We need you in this fight. It feels like a return of the jedi
Justice Roberts says that Biden can not give a fuck a whole lot harder than this, so I don't think it's in Republicans' best interests to be complaining.
This pardon is far less egregious than the Ford pardon of Nixon
You make me proud to be from Maryland. Thank you for talking common sense.
Not all people who call it X are fascists. I never had a dog in that fight and I find it hilarious how Musk destroyed that app. Blue Skies, smiling at me. Nothing but blue skies, do I see!
Thank you for your words. I am still working through the grief / rage portion of this measure and it's going to take a while. Your words are a balm. Thank you.
My reaction to the pardon from here in Ireland?
Well duh!!!!! A father protects his son.
Look at the pardons Trump doled out to those in his term who had done his bidding. More are coming in his first weeks.
This "precedent" was going to be abused by the next guy regardless. If he doesn't "have" a justification he'll just make something up.
GOP pearl-clutching means nothing to me when they use those same pearls to strangle us.
The executive pardon is a check on the judiciary, because sometimes the judiciary gets it wrong. I see this pardon as the system working as intended. The issue is that the people sometimes elect corrupt executives (and representatives and senators) against their own interests.
I'm thrilled!
I don’t blame him for pardoning his son.
Thank you Steve!
We can't survive if one side is allowed to flagrantly violate laws and the mos maiorum for their own advantage while the other is expected to follow the letter of the law and norms even while they get tossed in jail on trumped up charges.
Biden could have pardoned hundreds of thousands of non-violent drug offenders, if he cares so much. Instead of just his drug-addled failson.
Yes! Exactly!
Correction: X is what the fascists call it. The few non-fascists left there still call it Twitter.
I have absolutely no issues with this pardon, but I do have problems with the existence of our executive having pardon powers at all.
President Biden now needs to pardon the rest of us...
Well said!
He should also pardon all the people in jail on low-level drug offenses that he helped put there.
The fact that he doesn't, that's why I'm mad. They're in jail for political reasons too, all these politicians and their "tough on crime" drug war crap. But their dads aren't president, so they stay in jail.
OK, but you're ignoring the political motives behind why Biden was targeted. That's not the case for those drug offenders is it ?
@@symbiat0casually ignoring how we have Nixon's staff on record admitting that the War on Drugs was invented solely to target blacks and hippies
@@symbiat0there is a case to be made that Joe’s Tough On Crime phase when he was a Senator was a political move to get support from conservatives. Clinton did Don’t Ask Don’t Tell as a compromise and an appeal to the right in exchange for his financial policies.
The War On Drugs started with Nixon as a way to target Hippies and other counterculture elements. So yeah, drug use charges are always political.
@@symbiat0It was political. Nixon declared the "war on drugs" to target left wing students and urban Blacks.
@@symbiat0 I don't think "this will help me get elected" is a good political motive for locking people up for using drugs.
As the other commenter already said, Nixon's staff straight up admitted the war on drugs was started to beat up on and disempower Nixon's political enemies - POC and college students.
Biden in the 90's pushed tough on crime legislation that tore up families coast to coast because it helped him with the "moderates" when getting elected, he's had every opportunity as president to decriminalize marijauna and pardon drug offenders who's lives HE helped destroy.
It's just telling what Biden and the Democrats will go out on a limb for, and what they won't. They'll break all norms to pardon Hunter, but then they'll hide behind norms and not overrule the Senate parliamentarian to vote on a minimum wage hike.
Right on Steve. Thank you for speaking truth.
The norms game ended with Merrick Garland's SC nomination getting sat on. (Say what you want about his feckless term as AG, that's beside the point.)