New Delhi: The 2024 US presidential election is going to be unprecedented on many accounts.
The sitting president, Joe Biden is under investigation for mishandling classified documents. The ex-president and top contender to fight him on the Republican ticket, Donald Trump, has been indicted and is about to face trial which could begin as early as on August 14.
If this was not enough, the president’s son Hunter Biden has reached an agreement with prosecutors to plead guilty to two tax crimes and admit to the facts of a gun charge. Documents have been filed in court in this regard and the judge will have to approve the agreement before its inked finally. The decision to plead guilty will keep Hunter out of jail but it is unlikely to end investigations into his affairs, but on the contrary, Hunter’s attorneys are claiming all pending investigations are going to be over.
Even if prosecutors give him relief, the Republicans are not going to stop probing his affairs with the lower house under their control.
The Washington Post quoted Hunter’s lawyer Chris Clark as saying, “Hunter will take responsibility for two instances of failure to file tax payments when due.
He added in a written statement, “A firearm charge, which will be subject to a pretrial diversion agreement and will not be the subject of the plea agreement, will also be filed by the Government. I know Hunter believes it is important to take responsibility for these mistakes he made during a period of turmoil and addiction in his life. He looks forward to continuing his recovery and moving forward.”
But Trump is determined to make it a poll issue.
He was quick to attack the deal and said it was like giving Hunter Biden a traffic ticket whereas it is hundreds of years of criminal liability.
Lower House’s Oversight and Accountability Committee chairman Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) termed the plea agreement as a sweetheart deal and vowed not to rest until “the full extent of President Biden’s involvement in the family’s schemes are revealed”.
It is an indication enough that Trump is going to equate his legal trouble with the Bidens’ and make a case before voters that the administration Biden is helping his son whereas he is facing trial.
It is also not helping that Biden’s approval ratings are not very good.
He is liked by Democrats but does not have enough support among independent voters.
In the middle of a bitter political fight, outrageous propositions have been made. Few analysts have reasoned that Biden should pardon Trump to heal the nation.
Another set of suggestions has come in the form of Trump pardoning himself if he is convicted and still manages to win the presidency in 2024!
Legal experts say the president can pardon others but not himself and they have also found a way around this ‘problem’, which is Trump temporarily relinquishing the presidency to his Vice President, who pardons him and then Trump can switch back to being president!
Surprised? Don’t be as it is very much possible under the US constitutional scheme of things.
So 2024 is going be to a presidential election unlike any other. Book a ringside seat in advance.