In an alternate universe, the decision whether or not to pardon Hunter Biden would be a lot more complicated for his father Joe.

That alternate universe being the one where Joe Biden was not unceremoniously tossed out a window after his disasterous debate performance, and lost to Donald Trump all on his own. In that universe, Joe Biden would have to balance out his desire to let Hunter off the hook with the political future of the Democrat party. In the universe we just avoided, where Kamala Harris won, the decision on Hunter’s fate would have had other political landmines for Democrats.

But in this universe, where Joe Biden is a lame duck, Donald Trump is president-elect, and Kamala Harris’s political future is over on the national stage (though she very well could make California into her own personal little fiefdom), Hunter Biden’s future very much rests in the hands of his father. And while the White House has repeatedly vowed that a pardon is out of the question, the specter of a commutation – in this case, giving Hunter a “get out of jail free” card – is very much in play. And the White House has left themselves that wiggle room in months past.

And now, with the election over, the first op-ed giving Joe Biden permission to commute or pardon Hunter has also appeared. Ankush Khardori, who is listed as a POLITICO senior writer and a former DOJ prosecutor, is of the opinion that Joe Biden should TOTALLY pardon Hunter. Why? Because Orange Man Bad. Is there any other reason necessary?

There has been speculation in Washington for months about whether Biden will pardon his son. The question raises a host of considerations — legal, political, practical and historic — that cannot be easily disentangled or reconciled. But, in the end, should he do it?

Particularly in the wake of Trump’s victory, Biden is on strong ground — at a minimum — to commute any sentence of imprisonment for his son Hunter before he leaves office. Not a pardon exactly, but an important show of mercy.

Khardori is definitely pushing for a commutation, and then gets into just how AWFUL Trump is, so of course Joe must lessen the punishment for Hunter.

It’s true that this would amount to a reversal for the president. Biden said repeatedly while he was still running for reelection that he would not pardon his son or commute any sentence, a stance the White House reiterated days after Trump’s win.

But Biden may have good reason to change his mind — not least of all, because he was effectively ousted as the Democratic Party’s 2024 presidential nominee and now must watch as Trump, who lies more prolifically and corrupted the pardon process more egregiously than any president in modern American history, will return to the White House.

Let’s start with a basic but important proposition: The cases against Hunter Biden probably would not have been brought against anyone else.

This is not to excuse any of Hunter Biden’s conduct, but the gun charges have almost no real precedent, and the conduct underlying the tax charges is usually resolved by the Justice Department through repayment and/or fines.

The reason we are here is because Trump and his Republican allies effectively — and successfully — pressured Joe Biden’s own Justice Department to prosecute his son.

I’m starting to be VERY glad that this guy is no longer at the DOJ (though too many who share his opinions are still there). Khardori recounts the cases against Hunter, while claiming that the gun charges aren’t a big deal (this is not the argument that pro-gun control Democrats really want to be making, is it?) and that the tax felonies should have been okay because Hunter paid them back (with his “sugar brother’s” money). He even whines about how the “sweetheart deal” got scuttled at the last minute because the judge questioned it. Apparently, these are now all examples of how “Trump and his Republican allies” got the Biden DOJ to do their bidding. Wow, you mean they pointed out that Hunter Biden was getting breaks that no other American citizen would have gotten, and that goosed the DOJ into actually prosecuting crimes? And let’s not even get into the FARA violations that have been conveniently ignored up to this point, or that Joe Biden himself ended up as a financial beneficiary to Hunter’s dealings (remember, Hunter said he paid the bills to his own daughter) while Hunter sold access to Joe as his top asset. The Department of Justice hasn’t even TOUCHED that stuff, and yet Khardori wants us to feel badly for poor widdle Hunter, who was CLEARLY targeted by his own father’s DOJ.

But if Hunter Biden gets a term of imprisonment in one or both cases, his father would be well within his rights to commute the sentence(s).

There would be no real precedent for Biden to weigh, but of course, there is no real precedent for any of this. The cases against Hunter Biden were ultimately the result of a Republican pressure campaign and Garland’s decision to let Weiss pursue the cases as a special counsel. (The Justice Department declined to comment for this column.)

Trump and his Republican allies would likely bristle at any intervention by Biden, but there is no reason to take their complaints seriously.

But if Hunter Biden gets a term of imprisonment in one or both cases, his father would be well within his rights to commute the sentence(s).

There would be no real precedent for Biden to weigh, but of course, there is no real precedent for any of this. The cases against Hunter Biden were ultimately the result of a Republican pressure campaign and Garland’s decision to let Weiss pursue the cases as a special counsel. (The Justice Department declined to comment for this column.)

Trump and his Republican allies would likely bristle at any intervention by Biden, but there is no reason to take their complaints seriously.

After all, Trump abused the pardon power more than any president in our lifetimes in order to protect his political allies. He pardoned Paul Manafort and Roger Stone and Steve Bannon. He pardoned a prominent Republican fundraiser and donors, as well as a bunch of former Republican members of Congress. He pardoned war criminals. And he pardoned family: his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s father.

And one could argue that the Biden DOJ and its allies have engaged in a whole lot of lawfare to target Donald Trump specifically for “crimes” that even the New York Court of Appeals is signaling to be an overreach. Khardori isn’t even arguing that Hunter Biden didn’t do anything wrong – he just wants to say Trump is worse, so Joe is justified in doing whatever he wants to do at this point, including a “blanket pardon” for any potential FARA charges.

Now, we all know what is going to happen here, because Hunter Biden already tipped us off. He pled guilty to the tax charges in order to get sentencing done before his father leaves office, giving Joe the opening to commute that sentence. The gun conviction is likely to have a lighter sentence, and it could potentially just be probation. But Joe is going to use that “loving father” excuse to do whatever he wants, and if that means a blanket pardon, he’ll do it.

As for Hunter Biden himself, his days of living the high life are over. There is no more access to his father to sell, no more deals to make, no more connections or rich friends he can exploit, no more paintings that will be bought. This nasty and abusive man-child is already withering away into a shell of his former self, and will now attempt to play doting father to his second family (while steadfastly ignoring his daughter in Arkansas).

Hunter Biden was spotted in Disneyland enjoying the Dumbo ride with his wife and their son. https://t.co/UGdrDkCxQr pic.twitter.com/lpDwKIB7Yr

— New York Post (@nypost) November 18, 2024

Once Joe is gone, the emnity that exists between Hunter and Jill will likely become a permanent rift. She isn’t going to fund his life, and will instead focus on the grandchildren and building some kind of memorial to Joe – maybe a permanent statue of his favorite beach lounge chair at his favorite spot at Rehoboth Beach. But Hunter will simply fade away into obscurity. Any power or influence he had goes away when Joe leaves office forever, and the only thing he will have to sell once his father is dead is a tell-all book that details Joe’s cognitive decline. And he will – because that insider knowledge will be the only thing of value he can sell. So yes, Hunter Biden will walk away without the punishment that he rightfully deserved for breaking the law. But he will end up as a forgotten nobody. And while that isn’t the sentence the law would give him, it is probably the worst one that he could receive.

Featured image: original Victory Girls art by Darleen Click