Retiring West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a former Democrat who turned independent in May in hopes of saving his career in what has become a solidly red state, has a suggestion for Joe Biden: pardon Donald Trump.
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After all, the president just pardoned his son Hunter for tax and gun crimes after telling the world for months that he would do no such thing. Pardoning Trump would be the only to make this look less like the corrupt maneuver that it so clearly is, Manchin told CNN’s Manu Raju on Monday:
As a father, I don’t know of a father that wouldn’t have done the same thing.
What I would have done differently, my recommendation as the counsel would have been: why don’t you go ahead and pardon Donald Trump? For all his charges and make it, you know, have been going down a lot, lot more balanced if you will.
I’m just saying, wipe them out.
Watch:
Asked about what Joe’s promising he would not pardon his son for months and then doing exactly that would do to his legacy, Manchin dropped a massive understatement: “I don’t know from that standpoint… it makes it difficult.”
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It sure as heck does, considering even leftist news networks and many Democrats are up in arms about the turnaround, with many flat-out accusing the president of lying to the American people.
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Pardon Fallout: A Visibly Shaken Chuck Todd Turns on Joe and Jill Biden in Must-Watch Moment
Joe Manchin Leaves the Democratic Party in Desperate Bid to Save His Career
Biden’s Sunday announcement was in direct opposition to all his past statements on the matter:
On Sunday, Biden announced that he had signed a pardon for his son. “Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter,” Biden wrote in a statement. “From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted.”
Hunter Biden was convicted earlier this year on federal gun charges, and later pleaded guilty to federal tax charges. The president told David Muir of ABC News in June that he would not pardon his son for his conviction, responding “yes” when asked if he would rule out a pardon. He reiterated that stance shortly afterward. “I will not pardon him,” he said while speaking at an event a week after his interview with Muir.
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Manchin’s idea is actually an interesting one, although I sincerely doubt Biden will take him up on it. To Biden, this isn’t about fairness or justice; it’s about protecting himself and his family. If he truly believed that the DOJ went after his son because of his last name, then he must see that it’s the same bunch of corrupt people who have relentlessly persecuted Trump for political reasons as well.
Luckily for Trump, he doesn’t have to wait for the dishonest president—because Trump will be the commander-in-chief come January.