Monday, December 2, 2024

Flotsam and Jetsam - Joe Pardons Hunter After All

We expected this didn't we? Despite have claimed numerous times that he would allow the legal process to take it's course, late yesterday, Joe Biden issued a blanket pardon to his son Hunter, covering all federal crimes he may have committed from Jan1, 2014 to Dec. 1, 2024. ABC admits Biden pardons his son Hunter despite previous pledges not to, Fox, Biden pardons son Hunter Biden ahead of exit from Oval Office. "The president went on to claim that his son was "treated differently" by prosecutors." John Solomon at JTN, President Biden pardons son Hunter, breaking promise as he leaves office. Tyler O'Neal at Da Signal, Joe Biden Pardons Son Hunter, Claims ‘Selective’ Prosecution. Capt. Ed at Hat Hair, Biden Reneges on No-Pardon Pledge for Hunter. Sundance at CTH, Joe Biden Pardons Son Hunter Biden for All Crimes Committed Jan 1, 2014, Through December 1, 2024. Insty catches Politico with the usual cliche, POLITICO: Republicans Pounce! Republicans pounce on Biden pardoning his son, Hunter. "Screencap, in case Politico later revises their headline:", which they did, of course, Republicans say Biden is a ‘liar’ after he pardons Hunter, his son. Also Insty, IF THE GOP WANTS TO GO AFTER BIDEN’S PARDON OF HIS SON, HERE’S THE WINNING MESSAGEKimberly Klacik@kimKBaltimore, "In 1994, a crime bill authored by @JoeBiden locked Black men up for years for the same gun charge he just pardoned Hunter Biden for today. This is the Democrat Party. Again, why any Black person would want to be associated with the democrats is beyond me." AlsoSebastian Gorka DrG@SebGorka, "Except your son.", Quote Joe Biden@JoeBiden, "No one is above the law." "Readers added context
On December 1, 2024, President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, for crimes covering nearly 11 years of “offenses against the United States which he has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024.”" and  Kurt Schlichter @KurtSchlichter "I’m super excited to see all the leftist who’ve been babbling about the rule of law for the last couple years explaining why pardoning Hunter Biden is a great thing. I’m not sure, but I’m pretty positive it’s going to be because us conservatives are racist or something." Seth Barrett Tillman@SethBTillman, "HUNTER BIDEN PARDON? If as President BIDEN claims DOJ did not follow professional norms, & DOJ is instead bowing to political pressure, should not BIDEN fire someone? And if BIDEN is wrong about the norm-violation, should not someone (calling Merrick Garland) resign in protest?" andStephen L. Miller@redsteeze, "Joe Biden just gave Trump the ammunition to pardon every single J6 rioter that he has the power to" and Defiant L’s@DefiantLs, "A compilation of every time KJP was asked if Biden is going to pardon Hunter and every time she said no. At Twitchy, So Much for 'No One Is Above the Law'! X Reacts to Joe Biden's Pardon of Hunter. (((Aaron Walker)))@AaronWorthing, "So Joe Biden thinks that his son committed additional crimes even after he was convicted of the gun charges? I mean he thinks apparently his son engaged in criminal conduct right up to today Heck, this pardon arguably applies to future crimes which is highly questionable under the constitution. For instance, it is the presumption in federal courts that the time period includes the entirety of the last day. https://law.cornell.edu/rules/frcp/rule_6…" Matt Vespa at Town Hall thinks Some of These (liberal) Reactions to Hunter Biden's Pardon Are Pure GoldNate Silver@NateSilver538, "The White House consistently lied about this. Biden's stubborn insistence on running for reelection was perhaps the singular most important factor in Trump 2.0, and now he's kicking salt in the wound of the party brand he helped to destroy. https://cbsnews.com/news/biden-par". Sundance, President Trump Reacts to Hunter Biden Pardon "Does the pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years? Such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!" Althouse as always take her cue from the NYT, "President Biden and President-elect Donald J. Trump now agree on one thing: The Biden Justice Department has been politicized." Thanks to the NYT for stating the obvious point obviously. Also, "In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me"/"And guess what, we broke them and now they’re whining like little children"/"Hitler knows that he will have to break us...."

For an investigation, in fact, the Biden pardon may be extremely helpful. Suppose the pardon is indeed binding, and Hunter can never be prosecuted for any crime committed from 2014 to 2024. In that case, how can he plead the 5th Amendment, the right against self-incrimination, if he is called upon to testify in investigations of other people, people such as his father? He has immunity. He must testify. And if he lies, that is either the crime of lying to the FBI— the “Martha Stewart” felony that was employed against General Flynn— or, if he is under oath, it is perjury. Those crimes are not covered by the pardon, because they did not occur between 2014 and 2024— if he lies, it will be in 2025. 

FWIW, I'm not opposed to pardoning Hunter, I'm far more concerned with Joe's corruption, but I wish Biden and Trump had worked out a deal where Trump would pardon Hunter (perhaps not so expansively) in return for Biden pardoning non-violent J6ers and abortion protesters. It would be a better solution for the country. 

Steve Hayward at Power Line wonders Did Biden Make His Anti-Semitism Official? Does it matter anymore? Scott Pinsker, The Madness of King Joe: The Second Anti-Trump Insurrection Is Now UnderwayKostas Moros@MorosKostas, "Per the WSJ, more than 2/3 of our immigration since 2021 has been illegal immigration. Insane. No other country in the world would allow this, and we are already the most generous in terms of how many legal immigrants we allow in each year. Sealing the border is a major priority." Center Square, TX, Texas officers apprehend special interest illegal border crossers, save children  "In one recently apprehended group, a two-year-old girl from El Salvador tells a trooper her age and that she arrived alone. He asks her in Spanish, “Are you by yourself?” She nods. When asked how old she was, she held up two fingers. When asked, “Did you come with your parents?” she shook her head. When asked where she was going, she replied, “With my mom and dad.” When asked, “Where are they?” she replied, “In the United States.”" TAG, Illegal Alien’s Purchase Of 170 Guns Raises Eyebrows "A federal judge recently denied a request by an illegal alien, who had purchased 170 guns and undergone multiple background checks, to drop illegal gun possession charges because he claimed they violated his Second Amendment right to bear arms."

Matt Margolis at PJM, George Clooney Is Super Angry at Barack Obama, And I'm Just Loving It. "George feels duped and vows he's not going to be anyone's political water boy anymore." Stacey Matthews at LI, Harris Campaign’s Continued Money Woes Causing Big Headaches for Democrats. “I want to make sure we have a conversation about, where does the money go, and why don’t we know where it goes?”  From the Pop Times, Democrat Megadonor Calls Kamala’s Career Over, “She Can’t Be Trusted With Money” She is a Democrat, after all. From NewsMax, James Carville wants to Audit Harris Campaign's Spending. From Twitchy, She REALLY BLEW It! The More We Learn About Kamala's EPIC Fail of a Campaign the More HUMILIATED She Gets. Insurrection Barbie @DefiyantlyFree, "Wow, Kamala Harris actually blew through 2.1 billion dollars to lose all 7 swing states, the electoral college, the popular vote, the house, and the senate. Imagine blowing 2.2 billion dollars and all your get is a 20 million dollar debt. Atop Da Hill, Former Democratic lawmaker says party needs ‘rebrand’ post-Trump win. Sarah Arnold at TownHall hears Nancy Pelosi Seeks to Stage Another Coup In the Democratic Party "She is leading an effort to replace longtime Democrat Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) as a ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee. She is quietly urging Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-CA) to challenge Nadler, and according to reports, he is strongly considering it." Substituting one raving lunatic for another? Yeah, that'll do it.

From the Victory Girls, Kash Patel Announced As New FBI Director, Cue The Elites’ Panic. Brent Baker@BrentHBaker, "ABC’s @JonKarl not happy with Trump’s pick of Kash Patel to lead the FBI, opening #ThisWeek with long diatribe against him. Frets Trump following through on “radical change and retribution.”" Althouse, "This is firing the F.B.I. director.... It is extremely dangerous to have a change in an F.B.I. director just after a change in administration." "Said an anonymous "law enforcement official," quoted in "Trump Says He Will Nominate Kash Patel to Run F.B.I./President-elect Donald J. Trump turned to a firebrand loyalist to become director of the bureau, which he sees as part of a ‘deep state’ conspiracy against him."" At OTP, Trump Critic, ‘Blob’ Cardmember Bolton Compares Patel To Soviet Secret Police Leader and Tennessee GOP Sen. Hagerty On Kash Patel: ‘Type Of Change We Need’ At Twitchy, FBI Loving Lefty Promises The Agency Will 'Not Forget' Kash Patel's Nomination. At Town Hall Susie Moore hears FBI Statement re: Trump's Patel Pick Drowned Out by Chorus of Whoops From Former Agents and Becca Lower sees MTP Tries to Use Barr Quote As a Cudgel vs. Patel Pick but GOP Senator Does Not Cede an Inch. Jesse Kelly@JesseKellyDC, "“These FBI agents are professionals who will hold a grudge and hurt you because they don’t like the person you pick to lead them.” Sounds super professional.", Quote Harry Litman@harrylitman, "Patel nomination is an affront to professionals at the FBI, who won’t forget it even if Patel goes down. It’s also a challenge to the Senate to see if it will just roll over. A total a-hole move by Trump." Mike@PartayCaptain, "The FBI is not an autonomous organization, not beholden to the CEO of the executive branch that it is under. Trump is your boss, FBI. Don't like it? Resign. The American people are done with your lawlessness." Kurt Schlichter@KurtSchlichter, "It’s so weird that the guy who was elected to be the chief executive would want to be in control of the executive branch. That’s so weird. Apparently, it should be people who lost the election who are in control of the executive branch." Quote, Bill Kristol@BillKristol "The announcement of Patel as FBI Director nominee brings home even more dramatically how much Trump-- and JD Vance, Russ Vought, and Stephen Miller--are focused on total control of the real power ministries with either true believers or totally compliant figures at their heads." Elon Musk@elonmusk, "Exactly. Orwellian double-speak." Quote Stephen Miller@StephenM, "When the radical left says “our democracy” they mean “our unelected deep state.” When they say “FBI independence” they mean “unchecked law enforcement power immune from all democratic accountability.” In short, what they oppose is the restoration of democracy and self-government. x.com/bennyjohnson/s…" Sundance notices Democrat Senator Chris Murphy Vows to Organize and Lead the Trump Resistance Movement in Senate. "When asked if Democrat Senator Chris Murphy knows how he will vote on Kash Patel, if nominated, Senator Murphy says not only is he a “no,” but he will also organize and lead the upper chamber effort against President Trump’s nominees. WATCH"

At Am Think, Larry Kaifesh thinks about Pete Hegseth on Women in Combat. From Da Caller, RFK’s Calls To Ban One Of Big Pharma’s Most Powerful Tools Rattle Drugmakers Despite Uncertain Political Prospects, direct ads. Breitbart, Homan: I’ll Contract Non-Enforcement Immigration Work So I Have the Agents to Send More to Sanctuaries. NewsMax, Florida Sheriff Chad Chronister to Lead Trump's DEA. George@BehizyTweets, George@BehizyTweets, "BREAKING: New York Governor Kathy Hochul just broke rank with fellow Democrats and is now saying she'll assist Trump's deportation force to get rid of illegals with criminal backgrounds “Someone breaks the law, I’ll be the first one to call up ICE and say, ‘Get them out of here.’” At Da Fetched, Panicked Justin Trudeau Calls Emergency Meeting After Trump’s Tariff Announcement. US News, Trudeau Promised Trump Tougher Border Controls, Says Top Canada Official

Althouse wonders How are you feeling about the impending Trump administration? and "They’re all infesting the Cotswolds. F*** them. They’re not resilient … They had every advantage of state power. They had the high ground." ""And guess what, we broke them and now they’re whining like little children...." Said Steve Bannon, from his house in Arizona, referring to Ellen DeGeneres and others who are relocated, out of fear of the Trump administration." The Sunday Times cites Steve Bannon: Maga can rule for 50 years and Farage will be PM, "For the firebrand Trump guru, beating ‘whining’ Democrats was just the beginning — at home and abroad."

Stacy McCain finds The Dumbest Take on the 2024 Election, at the NYT. Now that's a high bar! Dating culture! At NYPo, Sen. John Fetterman says fellow Democrats lost male voters to Trump by ‘insulting’ them, being ‘condescending’. His stroke seems to have improved his brain. At the Fourth Watch, Steve Krakauer explains Why Trump Won, and the Establishment Lost. "If Liz Cheney wants you to win, I guess you can say “thanks.” But why would you make it a centerpiece of your campaign?" From Breitbart, a Poll: More Agree with Key Trump Policies than Oppose. Harold Hutchinson at Da Caller, ‘You Can’t Say You Weren’t Warned’: Five Times CNN’s Harry Enten Was Right About The Election

'Streif' at Red State has an Op-Ed: Lawfare Will End When the Left Is Too Terrified to Contemplate Continuing It "These people tried to imprison Trump for what would have statistically been the rest of his life. They went after the January 6 protesters using a patent over-expansion of the law that the Supreme Court had to smack it down: Supreme Court Hands Down Blockbuster Ruling in Case That Will Impact Multiple J6 Defendants. Even now, Garland's prosecutors are fighting to extend misdemeanor sentences into terms lasting years behind bars because the Supreme Court repudiated them."

Sarah Arnold at TownHall explains Why This Incident With a Trans Athlete Is Unlike the Rest. Ace, The NCAA And Its Conferences Have Been Co-opted By Transgender Inc. Leave The Heavy Lifting To The Women! Fox, NY Times hammered for article referring to biological women as ‘non-transgender women’ "'We are women, NOT TRANSGENDER WOMEN. Just WOMEN will do in the future,' female tennis legend Martina Navratilova posted to X on Friday" The Telegraph opines The New York Times’ erasure of biological women is the latest sign of its ideological capture,  Fox Business reports a Canadian town is being fined for refusing to celebrate Pride Month, fly rainbow flag "Emo, Ontario's mayor was also fined $5,000."

Volokh, at the Volokh Conspiracy is concerned about a DePaul Professor Who Wrote Anti-Palestinian Article, Was Censured by Faculty Council, Loses Contract, Defamation, and Discrimination Claim. At the Campus Reform, University of Michigan Board of Regents targets DEI office for ‘defunding’ or major changes, faculty senate freaks out.

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