WWYD hypothetical pardon

[theiacowtipper]

I’m not asking what Biden should do but asking what you would do. Hunter Biden gets convicted on tax charges or gun charges prior to January 2025. Joe Biden has lost the election. Do you pardon your son? You’re never going to serve in another political position. So you pull the trigger?

I do. He gets the get out of jail free card.

 

[TJ8869]

Absolutely, I would issue a pardon. And I wouldn’t even apologize for doing it.

 

[LunchBox50]

Hard to see many people in such a position position not doing that.

 

[Finance85]

Nope. I raised my son to take personal responsibility for his actions. A person can't try to take the moral high ground and then give a relative a free pass. Doing so takes away the moral high ground, whether it's guns or taxes.

 

[LuciousBDragon]

I’m not asking what Biden should do but asking what you would do. Hunter Biden gets convicted on tax charges or gun charges prior to January 2025. Joe Biden has lost the election. Do you pardon your son? You’re never going to serve in another political position. So you pull the trigger?

I do. He gets the get out of jail free card.

Issue the pardon and blame Trump for it.

 

[Rifler]

With scenario you describe, I would issue the pardon and tell the world to kiss my ass...

 

[binsfeldcyhawk2]

I'd pardon my kid in this instance.

Murder, Rape, assault etc no....

 

[LunchBox50]

Issue the pardon and blame Trump for it.

 

[hawkeyetraveler]

Nope. If either of my two kids behaved like Hunter I would want them to pay the same penalty as the rest of society. Part of the reason people end up like Hunter is a lack of consequence.

I would however do everything in my power to support my kids getting the help they need to rehabilitate their lives post prison.

 

[TennNole17]

Absolutely pardon, and say fuggoff

 

[theiacowtipper]

I'd pardon my kid in this instance.

Murder, Rape, assault etc no....

I would say something like, I won the election, I can pardon whoever I want. I’d also give anyone with similar charges a pardon for those charges.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Best outcome, if Hunter is convicted, is that he serves some time and pays his fines, and then Biden can commute his sentence to time served.

If he hasn't been convicted and served some time by Jan 2025, then I would pardon him.

That's clearly a lesser of 2 evils solution - where allowing the blatantly political railroading of Hunter to stand is a greater evil than letting him get away with those things he actually did wrong.

If Hunter is convicted on several different things, with several different sentences, then I assume Biden could choose to pardon on some but not all charges. That might be a good outcome. Let him do the time for the things that weren't politically exaggerated.

 

[theiacowtipper]

I would also, on my way out the door, commute every federal death sentence to life without parole.

 

[BioHawk]

I’m not asking what Biden should do but asking what you would do. Hunter Biden gets convicted on tax charges or gun charges prior to January 2025. Joe Biden has lost the election. Do you pardon your son? You’re never going to serve in another political position. So you pull the trigger?

I do. He gets the get out of jail free card.

In that situation? In a heartbeat. Anyone who cries about it can GFT.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Nope. If either of my two kids behaved like Hunter I would want them to pay the same penalty as the rest of society.

That's reasonable IF Hunter were treated the same as the rest of society. That clearly isn't the case.

If your kids shoplifted and were going to jail for 5 years while other folks kids were routinely doing community service for the same crime, would you still not pardon them?

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

I would also, on my way out the door, commute every federal death sentence to life without parole.

I agree - except for the without parole part. Let the parole system deal with them in the usual way. Most probably won't get parole anyway, but a few might have earned it.

 

[Titus Andronicus]

I think he is guilty of something in all of this ... but everything is stale at this point. and no one seems to have him cold on anything. I also think his prosecution is blatantly political. It is time for some of these prosecutors to face prosecution themselves. (Ours and their's)

**** "Tit for Tat." The government is involving itself in the wrong places in our criminal justice system.

I would pardon him and move on ... quickly, as in Today.

 

[Hoosierhawkeye]

I don't think a full pardon because I think Hunter could maybe use some time in the slammer.

But I would be somewhat worried that a judge could go off half cocked and just try to throw the maximum at him for every single charge. In that case I could see a reduction in his sentence.

Hunter deserves to be treated like any other person would. He shouldn't be let off with a slap on the wrist but he shouldn't be hit with excessive punishment just cause his dad was president.

That said I am honestly more worried about him getting a slap on the wrist than the other way around. Not necessarily because his dad is POTUS but more because Hunter seems to have money that he likely made off his last name. And prosecutors in general seem to like to give people with money sweetheart deals. Presumably because taking them down in court would require a lot more effort and time than taking down someone who's trying to defend themselves with a court appointed attorney.

 

[ericram]

Hunter won't do jail time for this stupid gun charge.

 

[Hoosierhawkeye]

That's reasonable IF Hunter were treated the same as the rest of society. That clearly isn't the case.

If your kids shoplifted and were going to jail for 5 years while other folks kids were routinely doing community service for the same crime, would you still not pardon them?

Ehh I said this in the other post but I'm more worried about Hunter getting a sweetheart deal than a judge going off half cocked and giving him the max sentence for every one of those charges. (Although I acknowledge that is also possible)

Hunter will have good attorney's by him and prosecutors tend to give really nice deals to just avoid the headaches, work and resources it would take to fight them in court.

Especially for these lower level non violent charges.

 

[hawkeyetraveler]

That's reasonable IF Hunter were treated the same as the rest of society. That clearly isn't the case.

If your kids shoplifted and were going to jail for 5 years while other folks kids were routinely doing community service for the same crime, would you still not pardon them?

I highly doubt any sentence will be harsher than an average person would get in his situation. He has access to great attorneys after all. People in his station in life don’t get unfair sentences usually. I would be more worried that the reverse happens.

But in your unlikely hypothetical, if he was truly given an unfair sentence I would probably commute it to an appropriate sentence (if that is within the President’s power). I would not pardon him.