Comedian Jon Stewart mocked both sides of the aisle after President Biden pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, on Sunday, arguing Democrats can never ace the political “purity test” they give themselves and that Republicans were always going to criticize the decision.
“The Democrats made this case an example of why Americans should believe in our system,” Stewart said. “And it’s hard — Democrats have the tougher road of defending our institutions and systems as being flawed but still valuable. Republicans just run on blowing this s‑‑‑ up.”
The host of “The Daily Show” said he did not have a problem with the pardon but faulted Democrats that, in his view, keep “getting caught creating a purity test for a system that they can’t seem to pass themselves.” He in particular blasted Democratic lawmakers who had highlighted the president’s promises not to pardon his son as proof of their party’s respect for the rule of law, thus making “Hunter Biden not receiving a pardon the Mason-Dixon line of morality between Democrats and Republicans.”
President Biden announced Sunday that he signed Hunter Biden’s pardon, claiming the charges brought against his 54-year-old son in both federal cases were political. He had previously said a presidential pardon was off the table in the cases, a reversal that prompted criticism from lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including Democrats in both the House and Senate.
“Hypocrisy isn’t illegal, nor is it particularly unusual in politics,” Stewart said Monday about Biden’s pardon. “It’s not like he’s ever going to run again. So why not take care of your kid, even if you said you weren’t gonna? I respect it. I don’t have a problem with it.”
Hunter Biden was found guilty in June of three felony charges related to his purchase and possession of a gun in 2018 while concealing drug use. In September, he pleaded guilty to nine tax charges. The pardon clears Hunter in both cases.
During the monologue, the political comic also took aim at a Fox News anchor’s response to the pardon, which he said some may believe “any loving father would do for their troubled son or daughter.”
“It was this love, in fact, that may have caused the problem in the first place,” Stewart added, before playing a clip of the network’s Ainsley Earhardt saying, “My dad always told me ‘Ainsley, if you get arrested, don’t call me. I am not your first phone call. I’m leaving you in there.'”
“‘Goodnight, sweetie,'” Stewart deadpanned. “Your dad always told you that? Were you a degenerate, or was your dad [Robert] De Niro?”
Still, Stewart was quick to mention his dissatisfaction with the pardon despite his “respect” for Biden’s decision.
“Motherf‑‑‑er! We were so close,” Stewart said. “But you know what? Good. OK, fine, it’s good, it’s right, it’s his right. He’s an 82-year-old man, doesn’t want to spend the rest of his life visiting his son in prison.”
“Republicans get away with this s‑‑‑ all the time,” Stewart added, sarcastically stating, “I’m sure the pardon is a narrowly written, precisely drawn farewell note of compassion for a loved one.”
The comic then joked about the sweeping nature of pardon.
“I didn’t know pardons could come for crimes you may have committed,” he said. “I’m surprised that Biden didn’t include the phrase ‘on Earth-One or any of the Earths in the multiverse.’”