Biden Pardoned Hunter Before Publicly Backing Trump

Joe Biden spent the final months of his presidency weighing a presidential pardon for Donald Trump. The White House claims this secret move proves Democrats politicized the Justice Department. President Biden issued several clemencies to those closest to him before leaving office, including his son Hunter, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and members of the January 6 committee. Utah Republican Governor Spencer Cox, a moderate who only endorsed Trump after an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, was surprised to learn Biden had been thinking about forgiving his predecessor.

Cox told The Atlantic that he spoke with Biden in August 2023. He said, "You know, I've actually considered this for a while." Biden added that he and First Lady Jill were lying in bed discussing the idea just that week. Cox noted this happened long before he publicly supported Trump.

The Trump administration says this story shows Biden knew his opponent was being treated unfairly yet did nothing to stop it. White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis stated, "This shows President Biden knew he and his fellow extreme Democrats had weaponized the justice system against his political opponent, but did nothing to stop it." She joked that it was a real profile in courage.

Cox believed pardoning Trump would help heal the nation and end what he sees as a cycle of partisan revenge. He told the President he might sound crazy to suggest mercy for someone whose base demanded justice. Cox hoped Biden would choose forgiveness over escalation instead. Similarly, after the shooting in Butler in August 2024, he asked Trump to unite the country rather than seek retaliation. "In both cases, things didn't turn out quite the way I'd hoped," Cox said.

Biden sparked fury by issuing preemptive pardons for Hunter, Dr. Fauci, and all nine members of the January 6 Committee as he left office. The first pardon went to Hunter, 54, who was convicted on felony tax charges and federal crimes for lying in 2018 about drug use on a form used to buy a firearm. This angered Democrats who felt it gave Trump permission to issue sweeping pardons without fear of hypocrisy. On the same day Biden pardoned his son, Trump announced he would pardon January 6 defendants charged with crimes related to the Capitol attack.

Biden wrote in his announcement that these public servants deserved protection because they had been threatened with criminal prosecutions. He noted they served their nation with honor and distinction and should not be targets of unjustified or politically motivated cases. The 82-year-old Democrat also used his final time in the Oval Office to grant blanket protection to former Chairman Mark Milley, a man Trump has said deserves execution. In total, the Biden administration granted more than 1,500 individuals clemency during its last weeks.

Emails show Biden formally decided on issuing pre-emptive pardons for his family on January 19, 2024. Among the most controversial actions is the protection of Fauci from federal prosecution. Biden also faced massive backlash for pardoning his own son from federal crimes. In a statement about the pardons, he wrote, "Our nation relies on dedicated, selfless public servants every day.

These individuals serve as the very engine that keeps our democratic system running. But a serious problem has emerged: government workers face constant danger and fear just because they do their jobs correctly. This pattern of intimidation threatens the safety and well-being of those who work for the public good every single day.