President Joe Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter deepened an entanglement of politics and the rule of law that has tarnished faith in American justice and is almost certain to worsen in Donald Trump’s second term.
The Sunday evening move was a stunning development since Biden came to office vowing to restore the independence of the Justice Department, which had been eroded during Trump’s first term, and because he had repeatedly said he wouldn’t pardon his son.
Now, weeks before he leaves the White House, Biden has wielded presidential power to absolve his son ahead of sentencings later this month over a pair of gun and tax convictions that emerged from the due process of law.
His decision came days after special counsel Jack Smith moved to dismiss the federal cases against Trump — over election interference and the hoarding of classified documents — on the grounds that presidents can’t be prosecuted.
Taken together, the convergence of legal controversies raises questions about the bedrock notion that underpins the system of justice in the United States that everyone — even presidents and their families — are equal before the law.