Hunter’s pardon hits close to home

Why were people surprised? He lied to us about the “laptop from Hell” not belonging to his son Hunter. He lied to us about never withdrawing from the 2024 presidential election. Why should we have not anticipated Joe Biden would lie to us about not pardoning Hunter?

There are those who will rationalize that the bond between a loving father and a son is such to warrant, should the father be in a position of power to impact the ultimate punishment of a son who has violated certain rules of conduct applicable to all, he would do so.

While this rationalization may be acceptable to some, it should never be acceptable within the public realm – for it runs the risk of fostering division. Those who are occupying such decision-making positions, whether within government or the military, do so imbued with a level of trust never to be violated. A personal family experience underscored this lesson for me more than a half-century ago.

During the Vietnam war, my brother, Elmo, commanded a swift boat. His tour was challenging, not only due to the dangers posed by a cunning North Vietnamese enemy but because he fell under the command of our father, Vice Adm. E. R. Zumwalt Jr.

As U.S. intelligence reports indicated the enemy was not sending supply craft down a river in neighboring Cambodia, the swift boats were under orders not to operate there despite the belief by some “swiftees” such intel was flawed. Accordingly, one night, Elmo chose to ignore those orders, crossing just over the border into Cambodia to set up an ambush.

Civilians were warned not to travel the rivers at night, so when Elmo’s crew heard activity coming toward them on the river and then saw the outline of a convoy, they knew these were enemy boats. These boats were taken under fire, and all were destroyed. Diving on the wrecks, Elmo and his crew recovered a wide range of weaponry. Since Elmo’s actions triggered an intel reassessment, his commander put him and his crew in for medals – my brother specifically for a Silver Star.

However, when the report of the action reached my father, he did what any responsible leader would do. While proud of Elmo’s courage, nonetheless, he had violated orders. My father referred the matter to his immediate senior commander (who at that time was Adm. John McCain – the father of a son with the same name who was a POW and would later become a U.S. senator) for disciplinary action. Weighing heavyily on McCain’s decision was the contribution Elmo’s actions made to our intelligence assessment; however, since Elmo had indeed violated orders, McCain reduced the recommended medal to a Bronze Star as the only disciplinary action to take.

I could not help but reflect on this incident upon learning that President Biden granted his son a pardon for various criminal acts he had performed during an 11-year period. Although Biden had promised us earlier he would not pardon Hunter, he perhaps forewarned us it was inevitable when, before his son’s conviction on gun-related charges, he said, “I am -resident but I am also a dad.”

A loving dad as well, my father recognized he was also a military leader who had an undeniable responsibility to those under his command – one transcending bloodlines. For him personally to sanction my brother’s disobedience to orders would open a door that would only weaken military authority.

While some might question McCain’s ultimate decision, there was a major difference between my brother’s actions in violating orders and Hunter’s actions in violating the law – the former ultimately furthered U.S. interests, the latter did nothing of the kind. In fact, what is most telling about Biden’s pardon on behalf of his son is that he had to ensure it covered any and all criminal acts Hunter committed over an 11-year period – back to the Obama administration when Joe was vice president. Thus, criminal acts performed during 30% of Hunter’s adult life are being forgiven.

Concerning charges against Hunter for failing to pay taxes, Biden told a half truth. He claimed the taxes for the enormous windfall in income Hunter earned by leveraging access to his father were eventually paid. They were, but not by Hunter; they were paid by his “sugar brother,” lawyer Kevin Morris. Thus, Hunter spent millions of dollars without paying a cent in taxes. (It will be up to the IRS to determine whether payment of Hunter’s back taxes by Morris accrues as additional income to Hunter.)

Explaining his pardon, Biden now tries to convince us that Hunter was “selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted” – a charge to which special counsel David Weiss, who prosecuted Hunter, responded saying there was no such evidence of “selective or vindictive prosecution.” Weiss also pointed out that several judges – some even appointed by Biden – have made similar findings as were dealt against Hunter. Furthermore, concerning Hunter’s tax charges, he even admitted in his book that he filed “false tax returns when he had just become drunk.” And lastly, Hunter voluntarily pleaded guilty to nine counts concerning his unpaid taxes after being convicted earlier on three federal gun charges.

Biden justifies the pardon on the basis that his own Justice Department is effectively broken and “infected” with politics. So, intriguingly, he apparently chooses to fix it with the single act of granting his son a pardon. It will be interesting to see if he abuses the system further to pardon other members of the Biden family who may have committed crimes linked to Hunter’s activities. A 630-page report, supported by 2,020 footnotes, published by a watchdog group that analyzed Hunter’s laptop claims to document at least 459 crimes committed by Hunter and the Biden family. Indications are Biden is also considering pardons for others who have proven not to be Trump-friendly, including Elizabeth Cheney, Adam Schiff and even Dr. Anthony Fauci.

The judge who oversaw Hunter’s tax evasion case excoriated Biden for attempting to “rewrite history” concerning his son’s criminal charges. He noted, “Nowhere does the Constitution give the President the authority” to do so.

CNN correspondent Jeff Zeleny revealed startling insights about the motivation behind President Biden’s recent blanket pardon of Hunter, suggesting it was a preemptive move against potential future investigations by Trump, perhaps to protect Biden himself.

The pardon will probably prevent an investigation that undoubtedly would have been launched into Hunter’s relationship with CEFC China Energy. CEFC is an intelligence front company involved in China’s “elite capture” program. This is an effort to identify and gain control over people in target countries who could help China achieve its objectives. It played an important role in funneling millions of dollars to the Biden family using a network of shell companies to complicate tracing payments.

The pardon, which covers the period from 2014 to present, encompasses various allegations including influence peddling, prostitution involvement and Hunter’s role in managing family finances. Even other Democrats are calling foul, noting that the pardon will erode Americans’ faith in democracy and the rule of law. Frustratingly, while Hunter’s 11 years of bad behavior goes unpunished, we see people have gone to jail just for silently praying in an abortion clinic.

Most ironically, at the time Democrats are supporting the “No Kings Act” in the aftermath of a U.S. Supreme Court decision giving presidential immunity to certain prosecution, their party leader abuses the pardon system to benefit a son who has violated laws repeatedly without fear of legal retribution. Despite Majority Leader Chuck Schumer claiming it was the Founding Fathers’ intention that “no man in America shall be king,” Biden exercises the power of a king to benefit a son with nothing but contempt for the law.

Additionally, it is reported Biden is considering a pre-emptive pardon for Gen. Mark Milley for having made secret phone calls to China as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In a statement reminiscent of the infamous claim by O.J. Simpson after he dodged a murder charge in 1995 (although he was ultimately found civilly liable) that he would dedicate the rest of his life to finding his ex-wife’s real killer but failed to ever undertake such a search, Hunter said, “I will never take the clemency I have been given today for granted and will devote the life I have rebuilt to helping those who are still sick and suffering.” Such a statement from one who spent years doing drugs and engaging prostitutes rings hollow.

While Biden’s pardon enables Hunter to escape federal prosecution, hopefully a thorough analysis will be conducted to determine if he is still open to state prosecutions.

Nor does the pardon protect him from potential civil claims, which clearly reflect Hunter dealt with others with a high sense of entitlement.

As first son, Hunter repeatedly rented expensive homes without paying his landlords – in amounts exceeding hundreds of thousands of dollars. One landlord reported Hunter failed to pay rent for over a year, trying later “to pay w/art made from his own feces. Absolute s—bag.” Hunter also made collection issues impossible as he “changed the locks and used Secret Service to enforce. We had no access to the property.” Despite being “totally disrespectful” of the property, Hunter was not sued by the landlord as he said the Bidens are “kind of a scary family to go after.”

As I reflect upon my brother –a patriot who volunteered to go into harm’s way in Vietnam on behalf of his country and ultimately lost his life due to Agent Orange exposure – and also reflect upon my father who, loving him dearly, recognized the responsibility not to interfere in Elmo’s accountability for his combat actions – I hold nothing but absolute disdain for both Bidens.