Staff Reports
President Joe Biden ignited a firestorm of controversy, once again damaging what little public trust remains in his beleaguered party, by delivering a staggering blanket pardon to his son, Hunter. This jaw-dropping move came just as Biden took flight to Angola—a nation that could teach a masterclass on corruption. Clearly, when the heat is on, Biden prefers to jet off to one of the most dubious countries on the planet rather than face the music.
Within hours of handing out the get-out-of-jail-free card to his son, Biden was off to Angola. During a fateful stopover in Cape Verde, he avoided questions from reporters, choosing silence over scrutiny. One has to wonder if the president thought he could dodge the fallout by hopping on a plane to a nation with a Corruption Perceptions Index ranking of 121 out of 180. If Angola is anything, it’s a paradise for cronyism, with bribery and nepotism in full swing while the judicial system takes a long nap.
WATCH: Fox’s Brian @kilmeade slams Joe Biden pardoning Hunter: “We knew this was going to happen, we just couldn’t believe the audacious way it did happen. It took zero courage to do it on a Sunday and then to go to Angola and take your press secretary with you.” pic.twitter.com/gsgJxMnMnc
— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) December 2, 2024
Angola is currently awash with scandals, including sanctions slapped on the billionaire daughter of a former dictator just weeks ago. There are more headlines filled with graft than with good news in that part of the world. Did Biden stop to consider how his actions in Washington would play out in a country where paying off justice systems is more common than serving justice itself? As the Angolan elite cheers, the Biden family continues to paint the nation as a favorable vacation spot.
On the agenda, the president would lay the groundwork for a grand new railroad project—the “Lobito Corridor.” This ambitious effort is portrayed as a bid to counter China’s notorious Belt and Road Initiative. But what’s more interesting is how the former construction and engineering plans seem destined to become just another project that provides wide-open lanes for Chinese companies to capitalize on a situation that should benefit American businesses. One can only ponder whether this project has more potential for profits than promises.
To add insult to injury, the left-leaning media reported that many Angolans were completely oblivious to U.S. involvement in their rail project but fully aware of China’s pervasive economic presence. To most locals, the Chinese are seen as job creators, while Americans seem content with creating conditions that may eventually attract investment—eventually being the operative word. As skepticism grows, the U.S. attempts to sell the narrative that this new railroad is going to make life better for Angolan farmers. How ironic that Biden, wrestling with the scandals of his own family, would pin hopes on farming advancements while overseeing such a ferocious political backlash back home.
The latest saga in Biden’s presidency emphasizes the dysfunction that has plagued not just his administration but the Democratic Party as a whole. Escaping to Angola may have been Biden’s attempt to craft a “historic” visit, but a blanket pardon for Hunter casts a shadow that eclipses any diplomatic achievements. Rather than solidifying his legacy in Africa, Biden might have inadvertently handed Trump a golden opportunity to redefine U.S. engagement on the continent while American voters remain focused on the bloated scandal that is Hunter Biden. If only Biden realized that sometimes, there’s no escape from the consequences of one’s own family affairs.
