The Progressive American

Republicans lose yet another talking point

Conor Kelly

Earlier this week, Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, was convicted of lying about his drug use when he purchased a gun. The conviction, which comes not long after Trump’s conviction for falsifying business records, is not only a sign that the rule of law remains strong despite conservative arguments to the contrary. The rule of law applies to every American, not reckless partisans.

The Narrative is Dead

Republicans have spent large amounts of time portraying Hunter Biden as being protected despite alleged criminality as part of a so-called “Biden crime family.” The focus on Hunter Biden was part of a larger approach by Republicans over several years to paint President Biden and his family as corrupt, seemingly without any understanding of irony whatsoever. Famously, Trump and his allies attempted to paint President Biden and his son as being part of an overarching influence-peddling scheme in Ukraine. In one instance, Trump claimed that Biden helped get rid of a Ukrainian prosecutor while he was Vice President to protect Hunter. This isn’t true, but that hasn’t stopped conservatives from repeating the idea.

This approach by the right came amid larger attempts to portray Trump’s decision to withhold aid from Ukraine as necessary to uncover supposed wrongdoing by then-candidate Joe Biden.  In reality, Trump was seeking to use his office to attack a political opponent, but conservatives have this misrepresentation of the facts to attack President Biden through his son, arguing that the justice system would not properly go after Biden and his family.

That can’t be said anymore. With the recent conviction of Hunter Biden, and President Biden’s response to the conviction, it is increasingly clear that the Justice Department is not only able to hold allies of the President to account but is also perfectly willing to do so. Merely because the conspiracy theories by right-wing grifters like Marjorie Taylor Greene have not resulted in action by the DOJ doesn’t change that the DOJ remains dedicated to upholding the law. In reality, the DOJ pursued legal action against Hunter Biden for his actual criminal behavior, not the imagined behavior presupposed by the increasingly conspiratorial Trump wing of the GOP.

Don’t Expect a Change in the GOP

Despite clear evidence that the rule of law is being equally applied, Republicans will continue to insist that DOJ is somehow biased against them. Already Republicans insist that the so-called true crimes of “the Biden crime family remain untouched.” Crimes that they can’t prove and almost certainly never will.

What is painfully obvious in this case is that the GOP and its allies were never interested in the facts of the case, the significance of the three counts against Hunter Biden or the man himself. They were interested in Hunter as a means to achieve a political end: the defeat of Joe Biden. Theirs is a justice of politics and partisan interests, not the rule of law. If the GOP’s standards and approach to the law are allowed in the White House or politics generally, it will lead to a degradation of the public trust and the stability of the justice system. They know this, and at this point, it seems like they don’t care.

If you like my work and want to support me, you can find the donation link on my Kofi link. Thank you, I really appreciate it. 

References

Bushard, Brian. “Republicans Don’t Celebrate Hunter Biden Conviction: Here’s Why.” Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2024/06/11/republicans-dont-celebrate-hunter-biden-conviction-heres-why/ (June 13, 2024).

Hals, Tom, Jack Queen, Tom Hals, and Jack Queen. 2024. “President’s Son Hunter Biden Convicted of Lying about Drug Use to Buy Gun.” Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/legal/hunter-biden-jury-deliberations-resuming-tuesday-2024-06-11/ (June 11, 2024).

Kelly, Conor. 2024. “Donald Trump Is Guilty – The Progressive American.” The Progressive American. https://theprogressiveamerican.com/2024/05/30/donald-trump-is-guilty/ (June 13, 2024).

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 [@RepMTG]. 2024. “The Biggest Crimes of the Biden Crime Family Remain Untouched. Millions of Dollars from Foreign Influence Peddling into Joe Biden’s Bank Account. Hunter Biden Just Became the Deep State’s Sacrificial Lamb to Show That Justice Is ‘Balanced’ While the Other Biden Crimes Remain….” Twitter. https://x.com/RepMTG/status/1800581861246144638 (June 13, 2024).

Smith, R. Jeffrey. 2019. “Timeline: How Trump Withheld Ukraine Aid.” Center for Public Integrity. http://publicintegrity.org/national-security/timeline-how-trump-withheld-ukraine-aid/ (June 13, 2024).