In a twist of irony, legal experts suggest that President Joe Biden’s efforts to secure his son’s freedom could ultimately expose him to legal jeopardy, as the move may pave the way for Hunter Biden to testify against his father. The political landscape in Washington, D.C., was rocked earlier this month when Biden issued a sweeping pardon to his embattled son, covering both known and potential offenses dating back to 2014.
The clemency was broader in scope than the pardon granted to former President Richard Nixon after Watergate. Despite repeatedly denying plans to do so over the past year, Biden defended his decision in a statement, arguing that “raw politics has infected” Hunter’s conviction on a felony gun charge in September and warning of a similar pattern in the Justice Department’s pursuit of tax evasion charges against Hunter in California.
“The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election. Then, a carefully negotiated plea deal, agreed to by the Department of Justice, unraveled in the court room – with a number of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure on the process. Had the plea deal held, it would have been a fair, reasonable resolution of Hunter’s cases,” Biden said in a statement at the time. “No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong.”
By granting the pardon, President Biden may have inadvertently opened the door for prosecutors and political opponents to scrutinize him and his family’s involvement in lucrative overseas business deals, according to The Western Journal. Mike Davis, a lawyer with the conservative Article 3 Project, pointed out that Hunter Biden can now be compelled to testify without invoking the Fifth Amendment, which only protects against self-incrimination.
If House Republicans continue their investigation into the Biden family and question Hunter about Burisma, Chinese business ventures, or Russian oligarchs he worked with, he may be required to answer. Davis emphasized that these dealings, spanning from 2014 to the present, are now pardoned, removing any potential legal jeopardy for Hunter in those matters. “If Biden pardons someone–like, say, Hunter or Jack Smith–they can no longer invoke the Fifth Amendment’s right against self-incrimination to avoid testifying before Congress or grand juries,” Davis wrote on X. “If those pardoned refuse to testify, they can face new charges for criminal contempt.”
If Biden pardons someone–like, say, Hunter or Jack Smith–they can no longer invoke the Fifth Amendment’s right against self-incrimination to avoid testifying before Congress or grand juries.
If those pardoned refuse to testify, they can face new charges for criminal contempt.
— ?? Mike Davis ?? (@mrddmia) November 26, 2024
Kevin Adams, a criminal defense lawyer, told Newsweek that he agrees with Davis. “The upside to Joe Biden’s pardon is that Hunter Biden no longer enjoys the right to assert his 5th Amendment Right against self-incrimination and contempt of Congress is also a crime,” Adams said.
Disclaimer: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.