Santa Barbara Congressmember Salud Carbajal Not Troubled by Biden Pardon

While many Democrats are agonizing over President Joe Biden’s recent decision to issue his son Hunter Biden a blanket pardon for any crimes and transgressions — charged or otherwise — over an 11-year period, Santa Barbara Congressmember Salud Carbajal said he is not among them. 

“Context is everything,” Carbajal wrote. “Donald Trump’s handpicked FBI Director didn’t just hint that he would seek political persecution of Hunter Biden — he repeatedly promised to charge him. With a witch hunt of his son all but assured, Joe Biden’s actions as a father and someone seeking to blunt Donald Trump’s agenda of revenge are fully understandable.”

Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to charges of tax evasion and of lying about his extensive drug use when applying for a gun permit. President Biden repeatedly stressed that he would not intervene or interfere with the judicial process where his son was concerned. Multiple times, he denied he would issue his son a pardon.

Many Democrats contend Biden’s about-face will tarnish his legacy and that it undermines the party’s insistence upon the rule of law in the recent campaign against President-elect Trump. Carbajal dismissed those arguments, contending that what Hunter Biden did is nothing compared to the crimes for which Trump himself has been found guilty. 

“This pardon of a victim-less crime pales in comparison to the widespread absolution that Mr. Trump has promised for those who assaulted police officers, attacked our democracy, and sought to overthrow our government on January 6,” Carbajal stated. 

In conclusion, Carbajal added, “I hear from my constituents every single day about pressing issues like the economy and the future of our nation. The number of messages I got about the President’s son can be counted on one hand.” 

Hunter Biden was convicted by a jury in Wilmington, Delaware, of three felony counts for lying about his widespread drug use when applying for a gun permit. He was also convicted on six misdemeanor counts for cheating the IRS out of $1.4 million in taxes over a three-year period. During that period, the younger Biden’s consulting company, Burisma, sought to capitalize on his father’s international connections. He wrote off as business expenses all sorts of high-flying low-life costs for such things as lap dances and nights of carousing. 

Biden’s convictions carried a maximum sentence of 17 years behind bars, but other news outlets have quoted sentencing experts who claim 36 months was far more likely. 

President Biden has since suggested he might expand the breadth of his presidential pardons to include political supporters whose actions and statements have aroused the wrath of Trump, who has publicly stated many — such as former congressmember Liz Cheney — should be criminally prosecuted. In sharp contrast, Adam Schiff, California’s newest senator, has made it clear that he does not want any preemptive presidential pardon even though Trump has frequently blasted him in his complaints. President Biden has mentioned Schiff among those to whom he has given thought to issuing a protective preemptive pardon. 

Schiff, who early in his political life walked precincts in Santa Barbara on behalf of then State Assemblymember Jack O’Connell, has argued that such pardons seriously undermine the credibility of Democrats’ “rule of law” critique when it comes to President-elect Trump and his vow to pardon those convicted of attacking the Capitol on January 6 and his threat to use the Justice Department to go after his critics.