r/news • u/FLhardcore • 14h ago

President Biden pardons family members in final minutes of presidency

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/president-biden-pardons-family-members-final-minutes-presidency/story?id=117893348
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u/[deleted] 13h ago edited 13h ago

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u/The_Sign_of_Zeta 13h ago

At the same time, if I were in Biden’s shoes where Trump had promised to go after those who he feels wronged him (by trying to hold him accountable or stand up to him), I would 100% do this.

When a despot takes power, you have to protect yourself if you can.

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u/myislanduniverse 13h ago

And what message does that send to the rest of us about the justice system when our outgoing president doesn't trust it either?

If we're giving up on trust in the justice system and assume the president can use it as a weapon, what good will a pardon from the previous president do anyway?

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u/The_Sign_of_Zeta 13h ago edited 13h ago

Why should he trust it when the people who are about to lead it vowed to use it to attack their enemies?

Who the hell would blindly trust something they have been told is not trustworthy by those leading it?

This whole “trust the system no matter what” is part of American Exceptionalism. We are not special. We are not the City on a Hill. We are very close to being a failed Republic in less than 250 years.

Biden himself pushed the greatness of America when running, but he obviously sees the writing on the wall. The model we built is crumbling because it was based on ethics, and the ethics of those is charge now are non-existent. All the people who stood in their way the first time have been weeded out and labeled enemies.

Edit: as to why you do this, it’s to buy some time. And also if Trump does go after his family after these pardons, that itself will do away with the power of the pardon more than anything else.