Alyssa Farah Griffin slammed Biden's previous denials that he would pardon his son, while Whoopi Goldberg noted: “I can't believe this is what's scaring people.”
After taking a few days off to celebrate unity and togetherness for Thanksgiving, The view cohosts returned to a divided Hot Topics table to discuss how President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, over felony gun and tax convictions.
Moderator Whoopi Goldberg kicked off the show's first new broadcast since the holidays by sparking a spirited debate after pointing out Donald Trump's long list of past pardons (including Michael Flynn, Roger Stone and more), although conservative panelist Alyssa Farah Griffin remained steadfast as the only opponent to criticize Biden's decision.
“That's what presidents do every time. They do it every time, they forgive someone, so I'm not sure why the pearl clutching is happening now,” Goldberg said, before Griffin elaborated on her feelings by pointing out that she has an “immediate family member in and out of prison” due to addiction issues, who – to this day – sought to have their criminal records expunged in their quest for fair employment opportunities.
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Hunter Biden and Joe Biden; Alyssa Farah Griffin on 'The View'
“If most Americans face consequences for the actions they have taken, they will have to face them, and no one powerful and politically connected will come to their rescue,” Griffin noted. “This feeds the idea in much of this country that there are simply different rules for those in power.”
Griffin, who previously worked for Trump's White House communications team, also strongly criticized Biden and his aides for what she felt was “lying” about Biden's intentions to ultimately pardon his son, after both Biden and White House press secretary Karine Jean – Pierre repeatedly denied that Biden would pardon his only surviving son.
“I felt sorry for Karine Jean-Pierre,” Griffin said of Jean-Pierre's frequent denials that Biden would pardon his son. “This is why people don't trust Washington, this is why they don't trust politicians. I know many of us like Joe Biden, but I think it's disappointing and bad for our institutions.”
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Sunny Hostin, who previously worked as a prosecutor, said she felt Biden's son would not have prosecuted him if his last name were different and if he had no ties to his powerful father.
“So many of the people who committed this crime are not prosecuted. Imagine the guilt that Joe Biden has to live with, thinking that his son, his only surviving son, is being persecuted because he is his son,” Ana Navarro added before speaking. directly to Biden's son. “Hunter, your father gave you a wonderful gift. The gift of freedom.'
Still pushing back, Griffin said she understood why Biden, as a parent, would pardon his son, but asked, “Why lie about it for so long?” Goldberg pushed back and urged her cohost not to label it as lying, with Griffin doubling down that the move would set a dangerous precedent.
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“It's a precedent for all of us to open our eyes because we elevated someone who was in a similar situation, who didn't have a drug problem and knew what he was doing,” Goldberg responded, referring to Trump's election. “I don't think Biden intended to pardon Hunter,” she later continued. “I think the more things went down, he said, why do I have to bust my butt trying to stay upright and do this when no one else is doing it?”
Once again, Griffin emphasized that she believed “the presidency should be bigger than its feelings,” while Goldberg pushed back, telling her colleague, “I can't believe this is what scares people.”
Announcing his decision to pardon his son this weekend, Biden released a statement saying: “I believe in the justice system, but as I have struggled with this, I also believe that raw politics has infected this process and has led to a miscarriage of justice.”
The view airs weekdays at 11am ET/10am PT on ABC.
