Well, well, well. Former President Bill Clinton stepped into the spotlight at the 2024 DealBook Summit, and if you were hoping for clarity on Hunter Biden’s presidential pardon, let’s just say Clinton delivered… a rambling attempt to make sense of it all. His defense? It’s not the same as when he pardoned his brother, Roger Clinton, because, apparently, context makes all the difference. Sure, Bill.
Let’s break this down. Clinton kicked off with a meandering justification for President Biden’s decision to pardon his son, Hunter, arguing that the consequences for Hunter would’ve been worse than for the average person in the same situation. Oh, you mean consequences like being held accountable for your actions? Heaven forbid. Apparently, “normal people” don’t get investigated for shady overseas business deals, tax evasion, or lying on federal gun forms—so maybe Bill has a point. But Biden’s reason? Protecting Hunter from “adverse consequences”? That sounds less like leadership and more like nepotism wrapped in a pity party.
Now, Clinton’s quick to draw a line in the sand: “This isn’t the same as when I pardoned Roger.” Right, because Roger Clinton served 14 months in federal prison for his crimes and then got a pardon to restore his civil rights. Hunter, on the other hand, gets a blanket pardon before the justice system even has a chance to fully weigh in. Comparing the two is like comparing apples to… well, a Hunter Biden-sized banana republic scandal.
“Someone said, ‘Well, this is just like when Bill Clinton pardoned his brother,’” Clinton continued. “Well, it’s not. My brother did 14 months in federal prison for something he did when he was 20. And I supported it. He testified, told the truth about what he’d done when he had a drug problem, and helped to bring down a larger enterprise. And then they sentenced him, and he served 14 months, and then he got out.”
But let’s be real. Clinton’s not here to defend Biden’s principles—he’s here to protect the Democratic brand. When asked if this will damage the party, his response was classic Bill: deflect and pivot. “We had a lot better record than Republicans did, didn’t we? And what good did it do us? I mean, nobody believes anybody anymore.” Ah, the old “both sides” argument—because nothing screams accountability like pointing fingers at the other team while shrugging off your own ethical disasters.
And let’s not gloss over Clinton’s subtle jab at Republicans. Sure, he says, Democrats are the party of law and order (stop laughing), but what’s the point if no one believes it? Maybe, just maybe, the issue isn’t about “belief.” Perhaps it’s about the glaring hypocrisy of a party that claims moral high ground while engaging in the same political favoritism they accuse others of. Biden himself repeatedly insisted there would be no pardon for Hunter—until there was. So much for those high-minded Democratic ideals.
Clinton’s remarks about Hunter’s pardon being rooted in “context” and “facts” come across as tone-deaf, especially to Americans watching two systems of justice play out in real-time. If you’re well-connected, well-funded, and happen to share a last name with a sitting president, you get a pass. If you’re an average Joe caught fudging your taxes or lying on a gun application, good luck.
Bill Clinton takes umbrage with the comparison between his pardon of his brother and Joe Biden’s pardon of Hunter, because Bill’s brother served his full sentence in prison:
“My brother did 14 months in a federal prison.”Sounds like Bill is saying ‘Lock him up’ pic.twitter.com/Xye8lXRtFG
— Eric Abbenante (@EricAbbenante) December 5, 2024
The real damage here isn’t just to the Democratic Party—it’s to the fabric of trust in our institutions. Clinton’s blasé attitude—peppered with his signature charm and a dash of smugness—only reinforces what many already suspect: that the rules don’t apply to the elite. When people feel the deck is stacked, they stop believing in the game altogether.
So, thanks, Bill, for your “contextual” wisdom. But let’s call this what it is: another glaring example of political elites protecting their own while the rest of America gets left holding the bag.
