Originally Authored at TheFederalist.com
It is well established that President Joe Biden is a serial liar who has fibbed and flipped-flopped his way through politics for the better part of 51 years. So it should come as no surprise to anyone, especially the corporate media outlets that make a living licking Democrats’ boots, that Biden lied about his willingness to extend a sweeping and unprecedented pardon to his son Hunter Biden.
Biden and his administration spent much of the last year repeatedly insisting that he would not use his executive authority to let Hunter off the hook.
“Have you ruled out a pardon for your son?” ABC’s David Muir asked in June.
“Yes,” Biden replied.
“I am satisfied that — I’m not going to do anything. … I said that I’d abide by the jury decision. I will do that and I will not pardon him,” Biden repeated one week later.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed as recently as November that Biden would not pardon his son.
“We’ve been asked that question multiple times. Our answer stands, which is no,” she said during a White House press briefing.
At the time, corporate media commended Biden and crucified anyone who dared to suggest that the president who lied about everything from his upbringing to the Biden family business to inflation might not keep his word.
Outlets such as CNN and MSNBC specifically contrasted Biden’s faux commitment to “rule of law” with President Donald Trump’s frustration about the ongoing lawfare plaguing him during the peak of campaign season. They hailed Biden’s alleged refusal to pardon as an “impressive” decision by, in the words of MSNBC’s Joy Reid, a “decent man.”
MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski claimed Biden’s decision to let the jury determine his son’s fate came about because he “has so much respect for the law.” One CNN panelist also suggested that Biden was simply proving he could “continue to live up to his values when it was really personal.”
When Biden released a statement at the tail end of the Thanksgiving weekend declaring “full and unconditional” forgiveness for any federal crimes his son committed between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024, however, corporate media feigned shock.
“President Joe Biden Pardons His Son Hunter After Previously Saying He Wouldn’t,” Time magazine’s headline declared.
“Biden broke a promise pardoning his son Hunter, raising questions about his legacy,” PBS wrote.
“President Biden pardons his son Hunter despite previous pledges not to,” the Associated Press said.
Per usual, those running the nation’s newsrooms owe Americans, who accurately predicted that Biden would pardon Hunter if Trump won the 2024 election, a big apology.
Instead of owning up to the sin of not only taking Biden’s word for it but criticizing those who didn’t believe him, however, several outlets opted to point the finger back at the people and the party who saw clemency coming.
They did not spend their word counts on calling out the Biden family’s clear corruption. Rather, the press aimed its fire at Trump, the GOP, and their voters for raising a fuss about one of the most expansive pardons in presidential history.
“Biden’s pardon of his son pours fuel on Trump’s claims of politicized justice,” CNN suggested.
“Republicans fume after Biden pardons his son Hunter Biden,” NBC News’ Sunday night headline stated.
Politico debuted an article accusing the Republican Party of trying to “pounce on Biden pardoning his son.”
The publication later updated its headline to “Republicans say Biden is a ‘liar’” in an effort to downplay concerns that Biden did in fact lie about his pardoning plans.
The propaganda press did not simply accept Biden’s empty and unreliable vow not to pardon his son. They also amplified and ran interference for it. When Biden reneged on his commitment, they pretended to be surprised that a fabulist like the sitting president would do such a thing. Then, they resumed their shenanigans on the liar’s behalf.
Tanking trust in U.S. news corporations isn’t enough to teach the journos who hailed Biden and his word as decent and just a lesson. Corporate media must face severe humiliation and punishment for their role in the Biden family’s corruption, including their recent pardoning ploy.
Jordan Boyd is a staff writer at The Federalist and producer of The Federalist Radio Hour. Her work has also been featured in The Daily Wire, Fox News, and RealClearPolitics. Jordan graduated from Baylor University where she majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow her on X @jordanboydtx.