{"id":426448,"date":"2024-12-03T11:11:49","date_gmt":"2024-12-03T11:11:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=426448"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T14:00:00","slug":"The-View-Cohosts-Overwhelmingly-Support-Joe-Biden-s-Pardon-of-Son-Hunter-With-One-Exception","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/The-View-Cohosts-Overwhelmingly-Support-Joe-Biden-s-Pardon-of-Son-Hunter-With-One-Exception\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The View\u2019 Cohosts Overwhelmingly Support Joe Biden\u2019s Pardon of Son Hunter \u2014 With One Exception"},"content":{"rendered":"

Days after discussing the notion of President Joe Biden possibly reversing course and pardoning his son, Hunter Biden<\/a>, before leaving office,<\/span> The View<\/span><\/em><\/a> cohosts had even more to say about the subject once it actually happened.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Monday\u2019s (December 2) first post-Thanksgiving episode, four cohosts \u2014<\/span> Whoopi Goldberg<\/span><\/a>,<\/span> Ana Navarro<\/span><\/a>,<\/span> Sunny Hostin<\/span><\/a>, and<\/span> Alyssa Farah Griffin<\/span><\/a> \u2014 were on hand to discuss the POTUS\u2019s pardon, which went against his own prior promises. While Hostin and Navarro were overwhelmingly in favor of it, and Goldberg was ambivalent but understanding of the decision, Griffin was categorically against Biden\u2019s decision, and the conversation became a bit tense between them before the end.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cListen, I get it. I mean, we got to convict a felon as president,\u201d Goldberg said first. \u201cI kind of feel like I look at the list of folks that You Know Who pardoned during the first term: He granted 237 acts of clemency, 143 pardons, and 94 commutations, including Michael Flynn, Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, Charles Kushner, Steve Bannon, George Papadopoulos, Albert Pirro and Lil Wayne\u2026 It is a president\u2019s prerogative.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Goldberg went on to express confusion over \u201cthe pearl clutching\u201d by the president\u2019s detractors, saying, \u201cIt seems kind of foolish. You kind of knew he was going to do it, given all that\u2019s happened, but maybe I\u2019m just kooky.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"'The<\/a><\/p>\n
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Griffin took the floor second, saying that because she had a close relative who is still paying for their addiction-related convictions, despite getting clean, it\u2019s unfair. \u201cMost Americans, if they face consequences for actions that they took, they\u2019re going to have to face them, and nobody powerful and politically connected is going to come sweep in and save them. And I think this feeds the notion to a lot of this country that there\u2019s simply a different set of rules for folks in power.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She then went on to justify having a different standard for Donald Trump, whose own felony convictions are now being essentially erased in light of the election results, saying, \u201cTo a lot of this country, it just becomes noise. They think that if you commit crimes and somebody powerful and connected in D.C. \u2014 right, left center, Biden, Trump \u2014 you\u2019re going to be able to get away with it if you have some on your side. And that\u2019s not how it is for everyday folks.\u201d Griffin then went on to knock Biden for \u201clying\u201d about his intentions to pardon his son, since he repeatedly and publicly insisted he wouldn\u2019t do that in the past.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hostin then took the floor and said that she, too, has loved ones who\u2019ve been convicted of drug-related crimes \u2014 marijuana in particular \u2014 and said that because Trump, an adjudicated felon, is about to ascend to the White House again, the \u201cpolicy\u201d of having job application questions about felonies should be immediately and forever changed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTrump did escape responsibility for all his crimes,\u201d Hostin continued. \u201cHe\u2019s nominating Charles Kushner, who he pardoned, as you mentioned, as the ambassador to France. Do you know what a nice, cushy job that is, that any felon would like? So please with the hypocritical pearl-clutching by this country.\u201d She then went on to reiterate the points she made in the prior episode about why she believes the charges brought against Hunter Biden were politically motivated. When Griffin then interrupted to ask why he didn\u2019t admit his intentions earlier, Goldberg intervened and said it was Navarro\u2019s turn to speak.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Navarro then offered her side of the matter, saying that on multiple occasions \u2014 including during Biden\u2019s most recent visit to<\/span> The View<\/span><\/em> \u2014 she encouraged him to pardon his son. \u201cThe reason I thought it was important is because I wanted him to hear from people who support him and respect him, which I do, that some of us, I\u2019d say most of us, think it\u2019s okay for him to pardon Hunter because of what you just said, that so many of the people who committed this crime do not get prosecuted. Imagine the guilt that Joe Biden has to live with thinking that his son, his only surviving son, is getting prosecuted because he is his son.\u201d She then went on to explain the egregiousness of the crimes for which Charles Hunter was convicted and ultimately pardon and said that she hopes Hunter Biden will use the \u201cgift of freedom\u201d he\u2019s being given by Joe Biden for good.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Griffin then jumped back in with a question before Navarro demanded she let her finish. When she did, Griffin then said that she does understand Biden\u2019s decision from an emotional standpoint, but demanded, \u201cI want to understand why lie about it so long?\u201d At that, Goldberg demanded that she stop using the word \u201clie\u201d to describe the situation, and Griffin complied but continued to insist that it sets a poor \u201cprecedent.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a precedent for all of us to open our eyes because we\u2019ve elected someone who is in a similar situation, who didn\u2019t have a drug problem, who knew what he was doing, who clearly stood and said, \u2018I can do this.\u2019 And he did it,\u201d Goldberg countered. \u201cSo I think for many, many reasons, this is very different than any other situation that we have ever dealt with, because when we\u2019re talking about who gets a pardon and who doesn\u2019t get a pardon, this man \u2014 I think Biden had no intentions of pardoning Hunter, and I think the more stuff that went down, I think he said, \u2018Well, why am I busting my behind to stay straight?’\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Navarro agreed, pointing out, \u201cDonald Trump campaigned on retribution\u2026 He has appointed people to law enforcement positions that have said, \u2018We are here for retribution and vindictiveness.\u2019 So Joe Biden could not leave Hunter, his only son, at the mercy of these people.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When Griffin then tried to suggest that with Trump coming in, such a precedent is dangerous, Hostin said \u201che\u2019s a very small man\u201d and it wouldn\u2019t matter, and Goldberg decided to close the segment altogether: \u201cI can\u2019t believe that this is what\u2019s freaking people out,\u201d she said to conclude the conversation. \u201cI\u2019m noticing the man who would not normally be able to even vote for president is the president.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The View<\/em><\/strong>, weekdays, 11 a.m. ET, ABC<\/strong><\/p>\n

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