Biden's son's pardon criticized as a "nepotistic act" by Jeffrey Toobin.
Biden was accused by Toobin of abusing his pardon power to clear his son Hunter of multiple felony convictions.
On Monday, legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin criticized President Biden's decision to pardon his son Hunter Biden of multiple felony convictions and other criminal allegations, labeling it a "complete act of nepotism."
Toobin, who faced criticism for his 2020 masturbation incident that led to his firing from The New Yorker and suspension from CNN, argued in a New York Times guest essay published Monday that Biden's decision to run for president stood in contrast to his initial aspirations of being a leader of decency and free of corruption.
The analyst wrote that Mr. Biden aimed to distinguish his presidency from the corruption and immorality of the Trump administration by pardoning his son, which added his name to the list of presidents who abused their office by misusing the pardon power.
On Sunday evening, Biden announced that he had granted his son a pardon. In his statement, the president asserted that his son had been unfairly targeted by the Department of Justice due to political motivations, stating, "No rational individual, upon examining the evidence of Hunter's cases, could arrive at any other conclusion except that he was targeted solely because of his relationship to me, which is unjust."
Toobin initially defended Biden's argument that his son was being targeted before launching into his criticism of the president's decision.
"The president's political opponents have long been fixated on proving that Mr. Biden was involved in his son's wrongdoings, which seem to have originated from his long-standing addiction to drugs."
"Although years of attempts, including a baseless impeachment trial, failed to prove that Mr. Biden was involved in his son's criminal activities or benefited from them, Toobin pointed out that Biden took action to prevent the new administration from prosecuting his son."
The legal commentator highlighted that Biden's son was convicted of 12 felonies but is escaping punishment because of his father's position as president. He also mentioned that other guilty defendants did not have the same advantage.
Toobin stated that Mr. Biden's love for his son and anger about his treatment were understandable, but the president's nepotism has tarnished the record of his presidency.
He argued that Biden hasn't shown the same level of mercy to others as he has to him, particularly in comparison to his previous boss.
"If Mr. Biden had shown the same mercy to others who faced harsh treatment in the legal system, his treatment of his son might be more justifiable. However, he has only granted 26 pardons and 132 commutations so far, which is significantly less than President Barack Obama's 212 pardons and 1,715 commutations in eight years."
In the conclusion, Toobin advised Biden to "enhance or at least repair his pardon legacy," particularly for those who lack influential connections.
Despite his promises, he has not taken any action yet. Currently, Mr. Biden's support is limited to his son.
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