On Tuesday’s episode of The View, co-host Whoopi Goldberg staunchly defended President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter Biden, sparking a heated exchange with Alyssa Farah Griffin, the show’s lone conservative voice.
The controversial pardon absolves Hunter of all federal crimes committed between 2014 and 2024, including those that may still come to light.
The timeline of the pardon notably begins in 2014, the year Hunter joined the board of Ukrainian energy firm Burisma in what has been alleged to be an influence-peddling scheme involving his father.
The discussion turned tense as Griffin questioned Biden’s transparency regarding the pardon. Here’s part of the conversation:
Whoopi Goldberg on Biden lying about the pardon: "STOP calling it a lie." pic.twitter.com/VJcvUZlNoc
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Griffin: “I understand why you would do it, but I wonder if you understand why you lie about it for so long.”
Goldberg: “I would stop calling it a lie.”
Griffin: “Okay, why repeatedly say you’re not going to and then you do? And secondarily, for the part of this country—half of it—that doesn’t support Biden, doesn’t know him personally, doesn’t get to have phone calls, and they’re just looking at a system that seems like it only benefits the people in power. What precedent does that set?”
Goldberg: “Well, here’s what it sets. It’s a precedent for all of us to open our eyes because we’ve elected someone who is in a similar situation, who didn’t have a drug problem, who knew what he was doing, who clearly stood and said, ‘I can do this,’ and he did it.
“So, I think, for many, many reasons, this is very different than any other situation we have ever dealt with.”
On Sunday evening, President Biden released a statement explaining his decision, which he admitted was a reversal of his previous stance.
“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,” Biden wrote.
The president described the toll the investigations and legal battles have taken on Hunter, stating, “There has been an effort to break Hunter – who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution.”
“In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me – and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here,” he continued. “Enough is enough.”
Critics of the pardon argue it reinforces perceptions of a justice system skewed to benefit those in power, a sentiment echoed by Griffin on the show. Supporters, including Goldberg, contend the decision highlights the unfair scrutiny Hunter has faced due to his last name.
The debate over Hunter Biden’s pardon underscores ongoing divisions in American politics, where personal and political loyalties often blur the lines of legal and ethical standards.