I am an unabashed admirer of President Joe Biden. He has done remarkably good work for the American people. But I am deeply disappointed by the pardon of his son Hunter on Sunday evening.

I respect and admire the President’s devotion to his son and have great compassion for the Shakespearean dilemma he faced before Hunter’s conviction. This is a president who has made fulfilling his duty and restoring the “soul of the nation” his hallmark. Therefore, pardoning Hunter can be seen as an understandable act of a loving father, especially one concerned about a Justice Department that could very soon be turned into a tool of revenge.

But I still think it was the wrong decision.

Biden’s election lends credence to President-elect Donald Trump’s repeated claims that justice under his predecessor was compromised by favoritism toward his friends and hostility toward his political opponents.

Trump spokesman Steven Cheung quickly made the point. “The failed witch hunts against President Trump,” he said in a statement, “have proven that the Democratic-controlled Justice Department and other radical prosecutors are guilty of weaponizing the justice system.” This justice system needs to be fixed… and that is exactly what will be done “What President Trump will do when he returns to the White House with an overwhelming mandate from the American people.”

Trump followed suit on Truth Social: “Does the pardon granted by Joe Hunter extend to the J-6 hostages who have been imprisoned for years now?” Such an abuse and miscarriage of justice!”

This false equivalence should be seen for what it is: an attempt to thwart Trump’s own plan to grant clemency to the people who tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. Nothing Hunter has been accused of compares to this.

And I also believe that the president’s claim – supported by legal analysts like Joyce Vance – that Hunter was chosen because of his family is credible. In fact, for a while, it seemed like Hunter Biden would avoid serious punishment, as others in his situation usually do.

However, that agreement fell through, and Hunter was ultimately convicted of three felonies related to the purchase of a revolver in 2018 and for the lie he told “on a mandatory gun purchase form” by saying he had not used it illegally nor was he addicted to drugs.”

That trial included what the AP called “deeply personal testimony from former romantic partners and embarrassing evidence like text messages and photos of Hunter Biden wearing drug paraphernalia or partially clothed.” Still, the president stood by his son.

A few hours after the verdict in the Delaware case was announced, the president hugged his son at an airport near Wilmington. It was a brave and admirable act for a father.

At the time, Biden made it clear that he was torn between his role as president and his role as Hunter’s father. “I am the president, but I am also a father,” Biden said. But he appeared to have resolved that tension by focusing on his duties as president and putting the nation’s interests first. Even before the verdict was announced, the president had stated that he “would not pardon his son Hunter.”

When ABC’s David Muir asked him if he would “rule out pardoning Hunter,” Biden said “yes.” A week later, He repeated that “I will not forgive him,” and Jill Biden also said that her husband would not forgive their son.