There has been much discussion about Joe Biden pardoning his son Hunter for any crime that he committed whether he was convicted or not. The ensuing outrage is understandable, but this abuse of the presidential power of pardons is not unique. In recent history, many presidents have abused the Constitutional provision for pardons, most notably Gerald Ford when he pardoned Richard Nixon for crimes of which Nixon was neither charged nor convicted. Biden’s pardon of his son, however, goes beyond abuse of the Constitutional provision and extends into a collateral admission of the Democratic Party’s ongoing organized crime against the American people.
Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution declares: “The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.” This power of pardon is very broad and has been tested in the Supreme Court. The Ex parte Garland case of 1886 established that the president’s power to pardon is essentially unlimited, and can be exercised before or during legal proceedings, or after conviction and judgment. But there are limitations.
Constitution.congress.gov cites, “Much later, the Court wrote that the broad power conferred in the Constitution gives the President plenary authority to ‘forgive’ [a] convicted person in part or entirely, to reduce a penalty in terms of a specified number of years, or to alter it with certain conditions. Despite the breadth of the President’s authority under the Pardon Clause, the Constitution’s text provides for at least two limits on the power: first, clemency may only be granted for Offenses against the United States, meaning that state criminal offenses and federal or state civil claims are not covered. Second, the President’s clemency authority cannot be used in Cases of impeachment. Beyond textual limits, certain external constitutional and legal considerations may act as constraints on the power.
“For instance, the Court has indicated that the power may be exercised at any time after [an offense’s] commission reflecting that the President may not preemptively immunize future criminal conduct.” So when Biden considers preemptive pardons for people like Nancy Pelosi, Anthony Fauci, the whole Biden family, and Biden himself, this is not only an abuse of power, but also an admission of guilt for “offenses against the United States.” A pardon by any other name is still a pardon of crimes and offenses against you and me. Mark 7:21,22 says, “For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, covetous desires, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, an evil eye, slander, pride, foolishness.” Offenses against you and God. Democratic Party organized crime. It’s a thing. A pardon by any other name is, say it with me…Stupidocrisy.
Sources:
https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artII-S2-C1-3-1/ALDE_00013316/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-is-a-presidential-pardon/
