George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley said on Thursday that President Joe Biden could be a “one-term president” if he pardons Hunter Biden.
Hunter Biden was indicted by a federal grand jury in Delaware on charges of illegally possessing a firearm while addicted to drugs and for making false statements. Turley said that should Joe Biden choose to pardon his son, it could carry a significant cost for the president’s re-election. (RELATED: ‘It Would Blow Your Mind’: Rep. Nancy Mace Says Biden Could Have ‘Opened A Bakery In Beijing’ With Money Hunter Got)
“If the president was not intending to run for re-election, he could pardon his son and admit that this was an abuse of the power, and say his penalty will to be a one-term president,” Turley told Fox News host John Roberts. “The pardon power has been abused historically by presidents to assist friends and family members. That included Bill Clinton, who pardoned his half brother. So there’s nothing inviolate about the presidential pardon power. It has often been honored in the breach by presidents in the use to benefit themself personally or politically.”
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“I think that what you’ve seen with people like Clinton is they waited until they were literally leaving office to use that power for personal purposes, and I would not expect that the president could pardon his son and stand for re-election,” Turley later added.
Hunter Biden pled not guilty in July to all charges after United States District Judge Maryellen Noreika rejected both the initial plea deal and a more limited revision over two misdemeanor tax charges.
Turley also noted that there could still be other charges stemming from Hunter Biden’s business dealings.
“There are still torpedoes in the water for Hunter Biden. The most obvious is an FARA violation, and you know, that’s being an unregistered foreign agent,” Turley said. “Many of us have been mystified at how the Department of Justice has been rationalize not bringing charges against Hunter, when they brought the charge rather liberally against Trump associates like Paul Manafort, there are also tax issues here that could be potentially litigated, although the statute of limitations was allowed to run on the most serious counts.”
Editor’s note: This piece has been updated to remove a reference to Devon Archer’s testimony.
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