Factcheck this

Claim: Joe Bidens' act of pardoning Hunter Biden from 2 criminal charges is a sign of corruption

3 like 0 dislike
in General Factchecking by Novice (900 points)
Joe Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter, while framed as a compassionate act against perceived injustice, has drawn criticism for setting a troubling precedent, appearing hypocritical, and potentially strengthening Donald Trump politically.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/02/hunter-biden-pardon-joe-biden-comment

2 Answers

0 like 0 dislike
by Newbie (410 points)

President Biden is hardly "setting a precedent" for pardoning a family member. As the article states, Bill Clinton pardoned his half-brother decades before. Biden was not the first president to use this power for a family member, and he is certainly not the first president to go back on his word. 

0 like 0 dislike
ago by Newbie (330 points)
edited ago by

Oxford Dictionary defines corruption as "dishonest or illegal behavior, especially by powerful people." While President Biden did stray from his promise to stay uninvolved in his son's case, his decision to pardon Hunter is public and legal. Additionally, previous Presidents have acted to pardon their relatives. Before President Clinton left office, he pardoned his half-brother, and President Trump pardoned his son-in-law's father as well in his first term.

Merriam-Webster definition: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corruption

CNN provided context of past Presidential Pardons: https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/01/politics/hunter-biden-joe-biden-pardon/index.html

False

Categories

Community Rules

Be respectful.

There is bound to be disagreement on a site about misinformation. Assume best intentions on everyone's part.

If you are new to factchecking, take some time to learn about it. "How to Factcheck" has some resources for getting started. Even if you disagree with these materials, they'll help you understand the language of this community better.

News Detective is for uncovering misinformation and rumors. This is not a general interest question-answer site for things someone could Google.
Posting

The title is the "main claim" that you're trying to factcheck.

Example:
Factcheck This: Birds don't exist

If possible, LINK TO to the place you saw the claim.
Answering

LINK TO YOUR EVIDENCE or otherwise explain the source ("I called this person, I found it in this book, etc.")

But don't just drop a link. Give an explanation, copy and paste the relevant information, etc.
News Detective is not responsible for anything anyone posts on the platform.
Snow Theme by Q2A Market
Powered by Question2Answer
...