Hunter
Biden
(Photo
by
Moses
Robinson/Getty
Images
for
Usher’s
New
Look
Foundation)
Last
night
President
Biden
pardoned
his
son
for
any
and
all
crimes
committed
since
January
1,
2014.
But
that’s
not
stopping
Special
Counsel
David
Weiss
and
his
sidekick
Leo
Wise,
who
oppose
dismissing
of
the
cases
against
him
on
principal.
Hunter
Biden
was
convicted
on
firearms
charges
in
Delaware
in
June,
related
to
a
gun
permit
from
2018
on
which
he
falsely
denied
being
a
habitual
drug
user.
In
September,
he
pled
guilty
in
California
to
failing
to
pay
his
taxes
on
time
between
2016
and
2019.
Sentencing
was
pending
in
both
cases.
In
an
official
statement,
his
father
noted
that
“the
charges
in
his
cases
came
about
only
after
several
of
my
political
opponents
in
Congress
instigated
them”
and
that
those
opponents
openly
took
“credit
for
bringing
political
pressure
on
the
process”
that
unraveled
the
plea
deal
negotiated
last
summer:
From
the
day
I
took
office,
I
said
I
would
not
interfere
with
the
Justice
Department’s
decision-making,
and
I
kept
my
word
even
as
I
have
watched
my
son
being
selectively,
and
unfairly,
prosecuted. Without
aggravating
factors
like
use
in
a
crime,
multiple
purchases,
or
buying
a
weapon
as
a
straw
purchaser,
people
are
almost
never
brought
to
trial
on
felony
charges
solely
for
how
they
filled
out
a
gun
form.
Those
who
were
late
paying
their
taxes
because
of
serious
addictions,
but
paid
them
back
subsequently
with
interest
and
penalties,
are
typically
given
non-criminal
resolutions. It
is
clear
that
Hunter
was
treated
differently.
The
ten-year
period
is
important,
since
Trump’s
henchmen
will
soon
be
controlling
the
Justice
Department,
and
they’ve
made
no
secret
of
their
intention
to
try
to
prosecute
the
president’s
son
for
violating
the
Foreign
Agents
Registration
Act.
In
fact,
the
plea
deal
fell
apart
because
Special
Counsel
David
Weiss
backed
away
from
a
promise
that
Biden
would
not
be
prosecuted
for
FARA
if
he
pled
to
the
gun
and
tax
charges.
Coincidentally,
this
change
of
heart
came
about
roughly
five
minutes
after
Republicans
in
Congress
complained
about
the
“sweetheart
deal.”
Last
night,
Hunter
Biden
docketed
notice
of
the
pardons
in
Delaware,
where
he’s
charged
with
lying
on
a
gun
permit
application,
and
California,
where
he’s
charged
with
tax
crimes.
“The
President’s
pardon
moots
Mr.
Biden’s
pending
and
yet
to
occur
sentencing
and
entry
of
judgment
in
this
case
and
requires
an
automatic
dismissal
of
the
Indictment
with
prejudice,”
his
lawyer
Abbe
Lowell
wrote,
adding
that
“this
Court
must
dismiss
the
Indictment
against
Mr.
Biden
with
prejudice
and
adjourn
all
future
proceedings
in
this
matter.”
But
Weiss,
who
was
appointed
by
Bill
Barr,
isn’t
ready
to
give
up
the
ghost
just
yet.
In
an
opposition
filed
in
California,
he
argued
that
“The
defendant’s
motion
should
be
denied
since
there
is
no
binding
authority
on
this
Court
which
requires
dismissal.”
“As
a
matter
of
past-practice
in
this
district,
courts
do
not
dismiss
indictments
when
pardons
are
granted,”
Weiss
wrote,
citing
such
luminaries
as
Steve
Bannon,
Michael
Flynn,
Joe
Arpaio,
and
Ollie
North.
“Instead,
it
has
been
the
practice
of
this
court
that
once
an
Executive
Grant
of
Clemency
has
been
filed
on
the
docket,
the
docket
is
marked
closed,
the
disposition
entry
is
updated
to
reflect
the
executive
grant
of
clemency,
and
no
further
action
is
taken
by
the
Court.”
And
although
Weiss
purported
not
to
have
seen
the
pardon
itself
(which
Lowell
inexplicably
failed
to
docket),
he
took
particular
umbrage
at
the
suggestion
that
the
prosecution
was
politically
motivated,
huffing
that
“The
court
similarly
found
[Biden’s]
vindictive
prosecution
claims
unmoored
from
any
evidence
or
even
a
coherent
theory
as
to
vindictiveness.”
Judge
Mark
Scarsi
of
the
Central
District
of
California
has
taken
no
action,
thus
far.
But
in
Delaware,
Judge
Maryellen
Noreika
said
in
a
minute
order
that
she
intends
to
terminate
the
proceedings,
and
instructing
the
government
to
say
by
tomorrow
if
it
objects
to
termination
by
dismissal.
Presumably
it
does,
although
no
objection
has
hit
the
docket
as
of
this
writing.
Meanwhile
over
at
Truth
Social,
the
guy
who
pardoned
Vanky’s
father-in-law
for
campaign
finance
violations
and
tax
evasion
and
then
named
him
ambassador
to
France
has
thoughts.
It’s
gonna
be
a
long
four
years.
US
v.
Biden
[Delaware
Docket
via
Court
Listener]
US
v.
Biden
[California
Docket
via
Court
Listener]
Liz
Dye lives
in
Baltimore
where
she
produces
the
Law
and
Chaos substack and podcast.