Biden pardon threatens his legacy—and Democrats’ fight against Trump

livemint.com:

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. WASHINGTON—Joe Biden made the central purpose of his presidency clear in his Inauguration Day address: “We have learned again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile," he said at the U.S.

Capitol, where a violent mob had tried that month to overturn his 2020 election victory. Biden’s aim would be to unify the nation and shore up its democratic institutions. That is one reason why the president’s pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, on Sunday may further damage his already tarnished legacy: The reprieve he ordered threatens to undercut one of the main propositions he offered for his election.

Biden’s political brand as a presidential candidate—his value proposition as a leader—was largely a promise to restore democratic norms and to fight the cynicism that had helped Donald Trump build his MAGA movement on claims that self-dealing leaders had corrupted the government. Biden had repeatedly promised to respect the independence of the justice system and avoid interfering with the prosecution of his son, including by issuing a pardon. His reversal “is not fully consonant with what he ran on," said Jim Kessler, executive vice president for policy at Third Way, a centrist Democratic group.

While Kessler said he empathized with Biden’s impulses to protect his son, the pardon comes as Trump will soon retake office on promises to overhaul a criminal justice system that he says unfairly targeted him and his followers. To lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Trump has nominated Kash Patel, a loyalist who has said he would fire its senior leaders and prosecute agents he thinks abused their authority. Trump has pledged to pardon people convicted in the Jan.