ABC Defends Joe Biden Pardoning ‘Only Living Son’ Hunter to Thwart Trump

Curtis Houck
December 2nd, 2024 4:36 PM

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Unsurprisingly, ABC’s Good Morning America stood out among the broadcast networks on Monday as the most pro-Biden family in covering President Joe Biden’s blanket pardon of son Hunter, arguing the act to save “his only living son” was done to save him from a politicized Trump Justice Department and put to rest claims of Biden family “corruption” that were hurled “without evidence.”

Co-host and former Clinton official George Stephanopoulos, like the other ABC personalities, wouldn’t use the l-word (as in “liar” or “lied”) to describe the President and his team. Instead, he said in a tease Biden “changed course” and, in a lead-in to apple polisher Mary Bruce’s report, he called it “a reversal from promises he made during the campaign.”

Bruce had a predictable open, painting Hunter as if he were a child: “[T]his is something that President Biden and this White House were adamant that he would not do, but this morning, with just weeks left in office the President is now protecting his only living son with a sweeping pardon.”

“Overnight, a sudden reversal. President Biden issuing a full and unconditional pardon of his son Hunter, ending a legal saga that the President now says was politically motivated. Biden had long promised he would not interfere with his son’s cases...But now, Biden said he believes his son was selectively and unfairly prosecuted,” she added.

Like a good foot soldier, Bruce then read through multiple excerpts of Biden’s statement and a light recap of Hunter’s gun and tax charges, which could have put him behind bars for years.

She boasted that “now Hunter, seen with his father over this past holiday weekend, will face none of that” thanks to a “sweeping” pardon “covering...any uncharged crimes between 2014 and 2024.”

After admitting Biden repeatedly defended his son and “aides were emphatic that the President would not step in,” Bruce had the gall to say claims of Biden family “corruption” were “without evidence”:

The about face comes just weeks before President-Elect Donald Trump is set to take office. Trump has vowed retribution against his political opponents and has repeatedly bashed Hunter and the Biden family, accusing them, without evidence, of corruption. President Biden clearly did not want to leave his son’s fate in the hands of Trump’s Justice Department[.]

Stephanopoulos then brought in ABC’s chief legal analyst and NewsNation host Dan Abrams for analysis. First, Stephanopoulos cued him up to agree with Joe that what happened to Hunter was, in the President’s words, “a miscarriage of justice”:

Abrams did, however, admit that this pardon was “as sweeping as you can make” when the President could have simply pardoned his son on the outstanding convictions or commute any sentence.

However, Stephanopoulos stepped into change the subject and steer Abrams back towards a conclusion that defended the Justice Department as apolitical:

Bruce resurfaced in the second hour to rerack much of her previous report, this time defending the President by arguing he “clearly didn’t want to leave his son’s fate in the hand of Trump’s Justice Department” and Trump’s promises of “political retribution against his political enemies and has repeatedly attacked Hunter and the Biden family.”

To see the relevant ABC transcript from December 2, click here.

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