Political Move: Biden and the Nebulous Path of the American Rule of Law

In a remarkable political turn, Donald Trump had already come under criticism for the controversial appointment of his fathers-in-law to high positions—Charles Kushner as U.S. Ambassador to France and another father-in-law as Middle East envoy. Meanwhile, Joe Biden, as the first U.S. President in history, granted a general amnesty to his own son, Hunter Biden, thereby depriving the Democrats of the opportunity to maintain moral superiority. This move by Biden comes at a delicate phase. It provided Trump with a welcome distraction to divert attention from his apparent nepotism. The independence of the American judiciary is questioned when powerful relationships offer the chance to evade accountability. Hunter Biden is now protected from Trump’s retaliatory measures, yet historically, Joe Biden bears co-responsibility that contributed to Trump's return to power. This development is reminiscent of Brazil, once considered a banana republic, which banned its Trump-like former president Jair Bolsonaro from office for eight years for attempting to overturn an election defeat. Biden, on the other hand, could not achieve that. Intraparliamentary tensions among Democrats intensified as Biden stubbornly held on to a second term, thus denying the party the chance to make forward-looking leadership decisions. Kamala Harris had to quickly build an alternative to the adaptable Trump, and the election result was close. That she even became the candidate is ultimately attributed to Biden. The personal and political entanglements are complex. Hunter's pardon partially covers the years when he sought to gain economic advantages through the influence of his father, the then Vice President. Although there is no evidence that Biden himself helped his son, it also remains unclear whether he ever tried to prevent this potentially harmful venture. Meanwhile, Trump has nominated Kash Patel as the next FBI Director—a loyal follower without proven qualifications. With this move, Trump pursues his political opponents through Patel in an aggressive manner. Joe Biden’s statements about equality before the law now seem like empty words, as by pardoning his son, he endangered Americans' trust in democracy. History seems to repeat itself with the often-quoted words of WB Yeats: While the best lack conviction, the worst are full of passionate intensity. America's rule of law faces a severe test. Should the fundamental values fail, Biden will have contributed to it.