1/30
@dave Weigel
Yep. Biden, wanting to Uphold the Norms, agreed to keep on a Trump-appointed prosecutor who was probing his son. Created a special counsel to probe his own post-VP document retention. Kept on Durham so he could finish a Trump-ordered probe of 2016.
What did he get? Nothing. So here he goes.
2/30
@Dave Weigel @daveweigel.bsky.social
Notice I did not say "... and good for him!"
I think the most interesting part of the letter is "in trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me – and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here." That is a big "fukk you."
3/30
@Dave Weigel @daveweigel.bsky.social
If you look at it from Biden's perspective: Had he just stayed retired in 2017, there might be no Hunter prosecution; maybe there is and it ends with the tax fraud plea deal. If Trump loses to someone else in 2020, does President X keep on Weiss or make him a special counsel? Probably not, no.
4/30
@Dave Weigel @daveweigel.bsky.social
That's how I read the letter. Biden is full of guilt, for failing Hunter when he was a junkie then for making him a political target for five years.
None of that *justifies* this, just looking at the decision based on what we know about Biden's mindset and bitterness.
5/30
@booridley.bsky.social @booridley.bsky.social
I’ll say it. Good for him, he’s right.
6/30
@Micah @rincewind.run
worse than nothing - the probe of his own document retention did far more damage to him because of the age reporting than the actual prosecution of Trump did to Trump
7/30
@genevorobyov.bsky.social @genevorobyov.bsky.social
He was trying to uphold the norms in an environment where 1/2 of the country could not care less.
8/30
@Beverly @smartandstuff.bsky.social
EXACTLY. which is what the entire democrat congress hasn’t figured out yet.
9/30
@calhoun24.bsky.social @calhoun24.bsky.social
Wait the DOJ is crooked and rigged? Maybe they made that plea deal so ridiculous they knew the judge would throw it out….wow maybe you’re on to something! Makes you think …..
10/30
@The Nemesis @nemesisresistance.bsky.social
fukk the norms... At this point, its like Biden and the Democrats are playing Monopoly by the rules and the other side is stealing cash and Community Chest cards when you're not looking.
11/30
@Beverly @smartandstuff.bsky.social
no… they’re stealing them and democrats are looking and shaking their heads hoping they’ll change their ways…
12/30
@verge @iverge.bsky.social
America elected a convicted felon.
That convicted felon pardoned his son-in-law’s father and appointed him Ambassador to France. If you support that, I don’t want to hear jack-shyt about Biden pardoning his son.
13/30
@bever69.bsky.social @bever69.bsky.social
So agree
14/30
@Bobby Finstock @coachbobbyfinstock.bsky.social
Exactly. If this is what Americans want (as they CLEARLY do by electing Trump again), then give it to them with both middle fingers raised.
15/30
@Sean @zeromein.bsky.social
Hunter Biden's pardon overlaps with Joe Biden's VP years, fueling conservative theories about Hunter's alleged role in a natural gas scandal. The pardon covers potential crimes from 2014-2024, sparking questions about its timing and scope.
16/30
@jonathanwmeier.bsky.social @jonathanwmeier.bsky.social
Seriously. If I were Biden I'd be ready to burn it all down. Pardon your son, don't need to give a fukk anymore.
17/30
@Carla Schroder @carlabean.bsky.social
Whatevs. Y'all pundits can parse the molecules of this until you die of happiness. Meanwhile, yay for President Biden for doing the right thing. Doing the wrong thing just to look "fair" is stupid.
18/30
@Donna of Queens @thedonster.bsky.social
Respectfully strongly disagree. If Harris had won, Biden wouldn't have given Hunter the pardon. This isn't sour grapes. Biden just refused to let Trump continue to abuse his power and harass his family.
19/30
@Annie & Gracie @blacklabstwo.bsky.social
Let’s talk about Hunters laptop which was of course Russian propaganda perpetuated by the gop endlessly.
20/30
@leecapri13.bsky.social @leecapri13.bsky.social
We go high. It doesn’t work. Good for Joe! The majority of this country and obviously, the next administration, doesn’t want to Uphold the Norms anyway.
21/30
@@dogsaresocool.bsky.social @dogsaresocool.bsky.social
I would wish that POTUS pardon all 440 ppl on the Project 2025 hit list. Their crime was upholding the constitution. Pardon them all.
22/30
@Jami Reed @jamireed.bsky.social
The convicted felon’s not going to like this
23/30
@JustNeedaBreak... @homerophile.bsky.social
Hopefully it triggers orange ape yugely.
24/30
@mikoobluesky.bsky.social @mikoobluesky.bsky.social
Biden are you going to pardon thousands of black teens who have been imprisoned for pot or drug usage? But your loser Son gets a free pass?
25/30
@Gloria @coranch.bsky.social
Stop sane washing the fascist who is filling his cabinet with criminals and rapists
26/30
@Carol Livingston @clivingsbkk.bsky.social
To me this is just an opening move. Biden has six more weeks to use executive powers to put protections in place.
27/30
@Dorcha @darqlady.bsky.social
I hope so.
28/30
@diane81.bsky.social @diane81.bsky.social
Good for the President! The outrage is as phony as Trumps tan..
29/30
@Matt Austern @austern.bsky.social
It's undoubtedly true that if Biden *hadn't* chosen to uphold norms, there would have been a firestorm in the press — and not just the partisan Republican press. Scolding Democrats for their transgressions is what the serious nonpartisan independent prestige press does.
30/30
@YvonneR @yvonnereed09.bsky.social
Biden played the old bipartisan rules to be fair forgetting GOP does not & may never...