The bombshell hidden detail in Biden’s Hunter pardon that means it could BACKFIRE and spark a catastrophe for the entire family, revealed by ALAN DERSHOWITZ
The extraordinarily broad pardon granted to his son by President Joe Biden may have saved Hunter from prison time, but in reality it could mark the beginning of worse legal troubles for the Biden clan.
By preemptively shielding Hunter from the fallout of alleged criminal conduct eleven years ago, the president is leaving his son open to virtually unlimited questioning in future congressional, civil, or even criminal investigations.
That’s because Hunter Biden can no longer claim the privilege of the Fifth Amendment — a constitutional right that protects people from giving testimony that could incriminate them.
Because Hunter is now effectively immune from federal prosecution, he cannot plausibly argue that testimony could constitute self-incrimination.
That makes Hunter a potential key witness for the coming years.
Biden’s blanket pardon is essentially a gift to Pam Bondi, newly elected President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, should she ever choose to investigate allegations that the Biden family corruptly profited from decades of long foreign influence.
A Republican-led committee in the House of Representatives has estimated that the Bidens and their business partners have raked in more than $27 million in foreign business deals in recent years. However, no Biden family member has ever registered as a “foreign agent,” as may be required by law.
That seems like fertile ground for research.
President Joe Biden’s extraordinarily broad pardon for his son may have saved Hunter from prison time, but it could actually mark the start of worse legal troubles for the Biden clan.
It is true that prosecution of those who fail to report their work for foreign governments is rare. But that has changed in recent years.
In July, Senator Bob Menendez was convicted, partly for failing to register as a foreign agent for Egypt.
On the first day of the new administration, Bondi, a former Florida AG, will be free to convene a grand jury and begin its investigation.
Researchers probably have a lot of questions for a political family that has become fabulously wealthy and operates in close proximity to power.
Hunter may be asked what Biden knew about the son’s foreign business deals as he reportedly hitched a ride on Air Force Two while Joe served as Barack Obama’s vice president.
Hunter is said to have accompanied his father at least thirteen times on trips to China, Egypt, Mexico and South Korea while Biden was vice president.
Another interesting topic may be what Biden said when he attended dinners and participated in phone calls with Hunter business associates during that period.
Or what Hunter meant when he wrote in an email to his sister, Ashley Biden, that “pop” costs “half his salary.”
Perhaps most critically, Bondi could investigate the true identity of the infamous ‘Big Guy’ so characterized in the ownership documents of Oneida Holdings, a now defunct company owned by Hunter Biden, his ex-business partner Tony Bobulinski and others.
Bobulinski gave testimony to Congress this year that the “Big Guy” was Joe Biden, who he claimed requested a cut of Onedia Holdings’ profits.
Two IRS whistleblowers involved in a federal investigation into Hunter’s tax case have also said Biden was the “Big Guy.”
While this pardon immunizes Hunter from federal prosecution, it does not protect him from civil lawsuits, including possible fraud charges.
Hunter Biden can no longer claim the privilege of the Fifth Amendment – a constitutional right that protects people from giving testimony that could incriminate them.
Another interesting topic may be what Vice President Biden said when he attended dinners and participated in phone calls with Hunter business associates. Or what Hunter meant when he wrote in an email to his sister Ashley Biden (pictured between Joe and Jill) that “pop” costs “half his salary.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James went after Trump for blowing up his real estate and won a nearly half-billion-dollar civil judgment against him.
Could new Trump officials now follow her politically minded lead?
President-elect Trump publicly expressed his sympathy for Hunter in the waning days of the 2024 campaign and reportedly said so privately with President Biden at the White House after the election. This could lead to his government being more lenient towards the outgoing president’s son, but that is no guarantee.
And when Hunter is subpoenaed by Congress to testify against family members, a terrible can of legal worms opens up.
Hunter will face several options, few of which are particularly attractive.
First, his lawyers can make an argument that he is entitled to the protections of the Fifth Amendment because the president’s pardon only protects Hunter from federal charges, leaving him vulnerable to potential state charges and thus allowing him is said to accuse himself.
But that is a weak legal argument. The statutes of limitations on any state taxes and gun charges (the only offenses investigators would likely be allowed to question him about) have undoubtedly expired. There is no self-blame here.
Second, Hunter could ignore the subpoena, although I would not recommend that course of action.
Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon just completed a four-month prison sentence for refusing to appear before a congressional committee investigating the January 6 riots at the US Capitol.
Third, Hunter could agree to testify and then lie. This is of course the least likely scenario and I have no reason to believe Hunter has anything to lie about.
At least hypothetically, that would also be a bad choice. Former Trump fixer Michael Cohen found out the hard way when he was sentenced to two months in prison for committing perjury in his 2017 Senate testimony about Trump’s business dealings in Russia.
President-elect Trump expressed sympathy for Hunter in the waning days of the 2024 election and reportedly during post-election meetings with President Biden at the White House.
Finally, Hunter could tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
The consequences of this are still unclear.
The post-presidency outcome for the Biden family is fraught, to say the least.
But the tragedy of it all is that this conundrum could have been avoided if President Biden had waited until Hunter was convicted of his tax crimes this month and then commuted that sentence. A defendant whose sentence has been commuted, in lieu of pardon, retains the right to plead the Fifth.
But one thing is certain: Hunter Biden’s troubles — and apparently those of his family — may be far from over.