Biden slammed as tweet comes back to bite him after brazen pardon of son Hunter: ‘This didn’t age well’

WASHINGTON, DC: It looks like President Joe Biden’s pledge to keep his family at arm’s length from his presidential powers was just talk.

On Sunday night, December 1, Biden made the jaw-dropping decision to pardon his son Hunter Biden for federal gun and tax charges.

This comes after Biden had repeatedly promised not to intervene in his son’s legal issues. And of course, eagle-eyed observers on social media were quick to point out a particularly awkward tweet Biden posted back in May: “No one is above the law.”

That post came on the heels of Donald Trump being found guilty on all 34 charges in a New York trial in May. These charges stemmed from accusations that Trump orchestrated a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election by paying hush money to an actress who claimed they’d had an affair.

“This was a rigged, disgraceful trial,” Trump fumed to reporters after the verdict. “The real verdict is going to be November 5 by the people. They know what happened, and everyone knows what happened here.”

Trump's prediction was spot on—November 5 indeed saw voters handing him a path back to the White House. Meanwhile, Biden’s proclamation about no one being "above the law” now feels more like a punchline than a principle.

Why did Joe Biden pardon son Hunter Biden?

Hunter Biden was facing a rather grim future if the justice system went by the book. He was convicted of three felonies in June for lying about his drug use while purchasing a gun in 2018, and he was also caught up in a separate case for failing to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes.

These charges could have landed him in prison for decades—up to 25 years for the gun case and 17 years for the tax case, the Daily Mail reported.

Hunter had initially agreed to a plea deal that would have spared him jail time, but that deal fell apart under scrutiny from a judge. Things were looking bleak for him, with sentencing for the gun and tax cases looming in December.

Enter his father, President Biden, who swooped in with a full pardon that covers all offenses Hunter might have committed from January 1, 2014, to December 1, 2024.

The decision comes just weeks before Hunter’s sentencing and, ironically, less than two months before Trump is set to return to the White House after his election win.

Reason behind Joe Biden's big U-turn

Joe Biden’s decision has people calling out his blatant hypocrisy. Let’s rewind to June when Biden declared to reporters, “I abide by the jury decision. I will do that and I will not pardon him."

Even as recently as November 8, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre shot down the idea of clemency. "We've been asked that question multiple times. Our answer stands, which is no," she said.

So what changed? According to Biden, the charges against Hunter were “infected by raw politics” instigated by his political rivals.

"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," Biden declared in his Sunday night statement.

"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."

"I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision," he added

While Biden’s explanation might resonate with some, others aren’t buying it. After all, the pardon flies in the face of his repeated promises to restore “norms” and respect for the rule of law after Trump’s presidency.

Donald Trump's response to Joe Biden pardoning Hunter Biden

Hunter Biden’s struggles with addiction and his string of controversial business dealings have long been a thorn in his father’s side. Republicans have used Hunter’s missteps as ammo to attack Joe Biden, including embarrassing moments like displaying half-naked photos of Hunter with sex workers during congressional hearings.

There was even an abandoned attempt by House Republicans to impeach Joe Biden, claiming he had ties to Hunter’s overseas business ventures—something the president has repeatedly denied.

Hunter’s own statement about pleading guilty to the tax charges did not help his cause. He said he did it to “spare his family more pain and embarrassment” after the gun trial dragged the alleged skeletons in his closet out in the open.

Now, this pardon has brought the spotlight squarely back on the Biden family, casting a shadow over Joe Biden’s presidential legacy.

It didn’t take long for Trump to jump into the fray. The president-elect responded on Truth Social, “Does the Pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years? Such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!”

Internet fumes at Joe Biden over Hunter Biden pardon

Social media users slammed Joe Biden following his U-turn on pardoning Hunter Biden.

"Biden a few months ago: I will not pardon Hunter. Biden today: I pardoned Hunter. All Democrats do is lie," one posted on X.

"Damn hypocrite and liar, but we already knew this," another wrote.

"This didn’t age well," a third user responded directly to Biden's "No one is above the law" post in May.

"Hunter would have talked, Joe pardoned himself," someone else offered.

"Biden, unlike Trump, is a failed father and this was the least he could do for his troubled son," read a comment.

"I love how Biden pardoned Hunter based on his accusations of the DOJ unfairly prosecuting him for political reasons, which is exactly what Joe wanted the DOJ to do to Trump," another noted.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.