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4 December 2024
Presidential pardon precedent
President Joe Biden came under quick criticism from both Republicans and Democrats after he announced a “full and unconditional pardon” of his son, Hunter Biden for any federal crimes from between 1 January 2014 and 1 December 2024. After years of insisting no such pardon would be on the table, President Biden changed his mind, saying Hunter was, “selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted.”
As USSC Honorary Associate Dr Harry Melkonian told SBS News, presidential pardons are a holdover from the monarchy, “It’s not hinged on any kind of merit or basis like that; it’s simply what the president wants to do.”
Presidents Clinton and Trump both pardoned relatives during their term, but this is the most sweeping pardon since President Nixon.
While Democrats were split on the pardon, many pointed to the precedent it would set for President-elect Trump to pardon for purely personal reasons. In his online response to the pardon, Trump referenced the “J-6 Hostages,” signalling his likely intent to pardon those convicted of federal crimes related to the riots of January 6 2021.
NEWS WRAP
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No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong.
President Biden's statement pardoning Hunter Biden | 1 December 2024
PUBLIC FORUM | 9 DECEMBER
Panel discussion: The future of the Quad
In 2017, the first Donald Trump administration revived the Quad partnership between Australia, India, Japan and the United States after years of inactivity. Now, as the second Trump administration begins to take shape, the Quad continues to enjoy bipartisan support in all four countries and it seems the grouping is here to stay.
The partnership has become a key pillar of diplomatic architecture in our region. But despite this goodwill and strong foundation, the Quad has sometimes struggled to articulate a clear mission, and its future agenda will need to deliver meaningful impact in the Indo-Pacific.
The United States Studies Centre (USSC) invites you to a public panel event that will follow a day of closed-door discussions at the Quad Leadership Track-1.5 Dialogue. Panellists will answer key questions facing the Quad on topics such as critical technology, climate and the energy transition, and maritime security, and discuss the future of the Quad partnership itself as a new US presidential administration prepares to take office.
The event will feature leading experts on the Quad, including USSC CEO Dr Michael Green, USSC Non-Resident Senior Fellow Dr Lavina Lee, Non-Resident Scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Darshana Baruah and Aoyama-Gakuin University Lecturer Dr Takuya Matsuda in conversation with Matthew Knott, Foreign Affairs and National Security Correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age discussing the Quad's challenges, possible solutions, opportunities for collaboration and the Quad's future agenda.
When
Monday, 9 December
5:30pm-7:00pm
(Networking reception from 5:00pm onwards with panel discussion commencing at 5:30pm)
Where
The Mint
10 Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Cost
Free, but registration required.
BY THE NUMBERS
744 vs 265 | Average acts of clemency for Democratic presidents vs Republican presidents for the last 50 years
Over the past 10 US presidents, Democrats have pardoned or commuted the sentence for far more people than their Republican counterparts, usually occurring in the final weeks of their term. President Trump granted clemency to only 237 people. Aside from President Biden, who will likely grant more pardons before he vacates the Oval Office, only George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush have pardoned fewer people since 1900.
Not included in the official counts from the Department of Justice are the sweeping pardons from Jimmy Carter of more than 200,000 people for dodging the draft during the Vietnam War and Joe Biden of 6,500 people for simple possession of marijuana because they were granted by executive order or proclamation.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Did you USSC?
- REPORT | Should Australia make solar panels? Supply chain security through global engagement by Georgia Edmonstone
- COMMENTARY | Australia must find its place in the global AI economy by Helen Zhang
- PODCAST | USSC Briefing Room | What the new Congress means for the Indo-Pacific with Jared Mondschein, Tom Corben and Alice Nason
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United States Studies Centre
Institute Building H03
University of Sydney NSW 2006
