{"id":6851,"date":"2024-12-03T13:53:31","date_gmt":"2024-12-03T18:53:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/?p=6851"},"modified":"2024-12-03T14:03:33","modified_gmt":"2024-12-03T19:03:33","slug":"bidens-blanket-pardon-for-humter-has-no-historical-precedent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/?p=6851","title":{"rendered":"<h1>BIDEN&#8217;S BLANKET PARDON FOR HUNTER HAS NO HISTORICAL PRECEDENT<\/h1>"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>The extraordinary breadth of Hunter Biden\u2019s pardon<\/h1>\n<p><!--more-->Story by Aaron Blake<br \/>\nThe Washington Post<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-image-slot image-slot-placeholder\" data-is-first=\"true\" data-doc-id=\"cms\/api\/amp\/image\/AA1v8Meo\">\n<div class=\"article-image-slot\">\n<div class=\"article-image-container\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;OpenModal&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:13,&quot;b&quot;:8,&quot;c.i&quot;:&quot;AA1v8I6w&quot;,&quot;c.l&quot;:false,&quot;c.t&quot;:13,&quot;c.v&quot;:&quot;news&quot;,&quot;c.c&quot;:&quot;newspolitics&quot;,&quot;c.b&quot;:&quot;The Washington Post&quot;,&quot;c.bi&quot;:&quot;AA2ed1&quot;,&quot;c.tv&quot;:&quot;politics&quot;,&quot;c.tc&quot;:&quot;government&quot;,&quot;c.hl&quot;:&quot;The extraordinary breadth of Hunter Biden\u2019s pardon&quot;}\" data-test-id=\"AA1v8Meo\">\n<p><button class=\"article-image-height-wrapper expandable article-image-height-wrapper-new\" data-customhandled=\"true\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;destination&quot;,&quot;b&quot;:1,&quot;c.i&quot;:&quot;AA1v8I6w&quot;,&quot;c.l&quot;:false,&quot;c.t&quot;:13,&quot;c.v&quot;:&quot;news&quot;,&quot;c.c&quot;:&quot;newspolitics&quot;,&quot;c.b&quot;:&quot;The Washington Post&quot;,&quot;c.bi&quot;:&quot;AA2ed1&quot;,&quot;c.tv&quot;:&quot;politics&quot;,&quot;c.tc&quot;:&quot;government&quot;,&quot;c.hl&quot;:&quot;The extraordinary breadth of Hunter Biden\u2019s pardon&quot;}\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"article-image article-image-ux-impr article-image-new expandable\" title=\"The extraordinary breadth of Hunter Biden\u2019s pardon\" src=\"https:\/\/img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net\/tenant\/amp\/entityid\/AA1v8Meo.img?w=768&amp;h=512&amp;m=6&amp;x=430&amp;y=175&amp;s=224&amp;d=151\" alt=\"The extraordinary breadth of Hunter Biden\u2019s pardon\" \/><\/button><\/p>\n<h5 class=\"image-caption-container image-caption-container-ux-impr articlewc-image-caption-container \"><span class=\"image-caption\">The extraordinary breadth of Hunter Biden\u2019s pardon<\/span><span class=\"image-attribution image-attribution-ux-impr\">\u00a9\u00a0Demetrius Freeman\/The Washington Post<\/span><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">It\u2019s one thing for a president to pardon his son. It\u2019s another to do it like this.<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">President Joe Biden\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2024\/12\/01\/hunter-biden-pardon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;destination&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:13,&quot;b&quot;:1,&quot;c.t&quot;:7}\">pardon of his son, Hunter Biden<\/a>, on Sunday is exceptional not just because of the pardon\u2019s recipient \u2014 the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2024\/12\/02\/biden-hunter-pardon-president-trump-clinton\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;destination&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:13,&quot;b&quot;:1,&quot;c.t&quot;:7}\">closest family member to receive a pardon<\/a>\u00a0in history \u2014 but also for its sheer breadth, according to experts on presidential pardons.<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">Biden didn\u2019t just pardon his son for his convictions on tax and gun charges, but for any \u201coffenses against the United States which he has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014, through December 1, 2024.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">That\u2019s a nearly 11-year period during which any federal crime Hunter Biden might have committed \u2014 and there are none we are aware of beyond what has already been adjudicated \u2014 can\u2019t be prosecuted. It notably covers when he was appointed to the board of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/national-security\/the-gas-tycoon-and-the-vice-presidents-son-the-story-of-hunter-bidens-foray-in-ukraine\/2019\/09\/28\/1aadff70-dfd9-11e9-8fd3-d943b4ed57e0_story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;destination&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:13,&quot;b&quot;:1,&quot;c.t&quot;:7}\">the Ukrainian energy company Burisma<\/a>\u00a0in 2014 all the way through Sunday, well after the crimes for which he was prosecuted.<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">Hunter Biden hasn\u2019t been charged for his activities\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/2024\/02\/15\/hunter-biden-informant-indicted-fbi-burisma\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;destination&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:13,&quot;b&quot;:1,&quot;c.t&quot;:7}\">with regard to Burisma<\/a> or anything beyond his convictions, and nothing in the public record suggests criminal charges could be around the bend. Congressional Republicans have probed the Burisma matter and Hunter Biden extensively and could seemingly have uncovere<\/p>\n<p class=\"continue-read-break\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">Even still, the scope of the pardon is remarkable. Experts say there is little to no precedent for a pardon covering such a wide range of activity over such a long period, with the closest being Gerald Ford\u2019s 1974 pardon of Richard M. Nixon after Nixon resigned post-Watergate.<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">Hunter Biden\u2019s pardon \u201cisn\u2019t tied to any special counsel investigation or charging document,\u201d Sam Morison, who spent 13 years working for the Justice Department\u2019s Office of the Pardon Attorney, said via email. \u201cThe only pardon grant that comes close is Ford\u2019s pardon of Nixon for any crimes he may have committed from 1969 to 1974, which on its face would have included crimes (if any) unrelated to Watergate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">Experts pointed to several broad, preemptive and blanket pardons that bear similarities to the one covering Hunter Biden. But they also feature some key differences.<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">The language of the Nixon pardon cited crimes he \u201chas committed or may have committed\u201d between Jan. 20, 1969, and Aug. 9, 1974 \u2014 language similar to Hunter Biden\u2019s pardon.<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">As noted, that is not Watergate-specific, and the dates cover Nixon\u2019s entire presidency. But it\u2019s a period roughly half as long as that covered under Hunter Biden\u2019s pardon. There\u2019s also the fact that some of Nixon\u2019s actions might already have been exempt from prosecution by virtue of his role as president \u2014 something Hunter Biden doesn\u2019t benefit from.<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">Jimmy Carter in 1976 pardoned most of those who dodged the Vietnam War draft between Aug. 4, 1964, and March 28, 1973. That covered a large group of people, but the pardon was only for violating Military Selective Service Act and related regulations.<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">Other presidents have also issued blanket amnesties for large groups of people tied to specific events or specific crimes.<\/p>\n<div class=\"intra-article-module\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;intraArticle&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:13}\"><\/div>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">Benjamin Harrison did so in 1893 for\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.presidency.ucsb.edu\/documents\/proclamation-346-granting-amnesty-and-pardon-for-the-offense-engaging-polygamous-or-plural#:~:text=Now%2C%20therefore%2C%20I%2C%20Benjamin,marriage%20who%20have%20since%20November\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;destination&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:13,&quot;b&quot;:1,&quot;c.t&quot;:7}\">Mormon polygamists<\/a>, noting that they had \u201cabstained from such unlawful cohabitation\u201d by 1890. But that was, likewise, for a specific crime.<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">Andrew Johnson issued individual pardons for 13,000 Confederate soldiers after the Civil War, granting them clemency for \u201call offences by him committed, arising from participation, direct or implied\u201d in the rebellion.<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">\u201cThese individual pardons were issued by Johnson throughout his term, and particularly during its first two years,\u201d Frank O. Bowman III, a pardon expert at the University of Missouri School of Law, said in an email. \u201cHence, they reached back some 6-8 years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">George Washington did so in 1794 for participants of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/founders.archives.gov\/documents\/Hamilton\/01-17-02-0359\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;destination&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:13,&quot;b&quot;:1,&quot;c.t&quot;:7}\">Whiskey Rebellion<\/a>. The pardoned conduct was broad \u2014 the pardon was for those who had \u201cdirectly or indirectly engaged in the wicked and unhappy tumults and disturbances lately\u201d and encompassed residents of several counties \u2014 but it was at least tied to one event.<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">A couple of other more recent examples that involve pardoning figures for crimes committed in high-profile scandals bear some similarities to the Hunter Biden pardon.<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">George H.W. Bush in 1992\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.presidency.ucsb.edu\/documents\/proclamation-6518-grant-executive-clemency\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;destination&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:13,&quot;b&quot;:1,&quot;c.t&quot;:7}\">pardoned six figures in the Iran-contra affair<\/a>, including former defense secretary Caspar Weinberger, \u201cfor all offenses charged or prosecuted by Independent Counsel Lawrence E. Walsh or other member of his office, or committed by these individuals and within the jurisdiction of that office.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">And now-President-elect Donald Trump in 2020\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/pardon\/page\/file\/1341606\/dl?inline\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;destination&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:13,&quot;b&quot;:1,&quot;c.t&quot;:7}\">pardoned former national security adviser Michael Flynn<\/a>\u00a0for \u201cany and all possible offenses\u201d arising from facts or circumstances that were \u201cin any matter related\u201d to special counsel Robert S. Mueller III\u2019s Russia investigation.<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">The latter went even further than the former, by pardoning Flynn for conduct even just somehow related to the special counsel\u2019s investigation. At the time, some experts regarded it as the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2020\/11\/30\/trump-flynn-pardon-reprieve-441527\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;destination&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:13,&quot;b&quot;:1,&quot;c.t&quot;:7}\">broadest act of clemency since Nixon\u2019s pardon<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">\u201cFlynn\u2019s pardon was broad, to be sure, but not nearly as broad as Hunter\u2019s,\u201d Morison said.<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">There is some question about\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2020\/12\/02\/how-much-protection-can-trump-offer-his-family-with-his-pardon-power-lot\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;destination&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:13,&quot;b&quot;:1,&quot;c.t&quot;:7}\">whether such a broad pardon for unspecified crimes is constitutional<\/a>, an issue that arose when reports indicated Trump might preemptively pardon family members at the tail end of his first term.<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">The Nixon pardon was not tested in court. But the Supreme Court said amid Johnson\u2019s post-Civil War pardons that a president\u2019s pardon power \u201cextends to every offence known to the law, and may be exercised at any time after its commission, either before legal proceedings are taken or during their pendency or after conviction and judgment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">There is some subjectivity here in comparing these pardons. Hunter Biden\u2019s known actions come up well shy of the magnitude of participating in a rebellion against the United States or some of the high-profile scandals mentioned above, for example.<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">And it\u2019s worth emphasizing how\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2021\/01\/20\/trumps-swampiest-pardons-ranked\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;destination&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:13,&quot;b&quot;:1,&quot;c.t&quot;:7}\">extraordinarily political many of Trump\u2019s pardons were<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 granting clemency to numerous political allies and several people wrapped up in investigations involving Trump, including Flynn. Trump surely stretched the bounds of presidential pardon power.<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">But there\u2019s no question that Biden\u2019s exercise of his pardon power on Sunday also stretched those bounds \u2014 and on behalf of his son, no less.<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">\u201cThe Nixon pardon is the only precedent in modern times for such a broad pardon, which purports to insulate Hunter Biden from prosecution for crimes that have not even been charged,\u201d said Margaret Love, who served as U.S. pardon attorney under Bush and Bill Clinton.<\/p>\n<p data-t=\"{&quot;n&quot;:&quot;blueLinks&quot;}\">\u201cSome of the Trump pardons were also disruptive of ongoing prosecutions,\u201d Love said, adding that they were at least \u201cdirected to specific charged conduct.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>___<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/news\/politics\/the-extraordinary-breadth-of-hunter-biden-s-pardon\/ar-AA1v8I6w\">https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/news\/politics\/the-extraordinary-breadth-of-hunter-biden-s-pardon\/ar-AA1v8I6w<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The extraordinary breadth of Hunter Biden\u2019s pardon<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6851"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6851\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}