So I thought I'd take a crack at assessing the psychological significance of Joe Biden's pardon of his son, Hunter.

He said I'd bide by the jury decision, and I will do that, and I will not pardon him.

And have you ruled out a pardon for your son?

Yes.

Is there any possibility that the president would end up pardoning his son?

Our answer stands, which is no.

No.

It is a no, and I don't have anything else to add.

Will he pardon his son? No.

Part of the reason I'm doing this, you see, is because there's been a variety of claims

justifying the pardon emerge in the aftermath of its manifestation, including the claims

that Joe only did what any loving father would do. And the, I think, less egregious claim that, well, other presidents

have done things that were equally bad or worse. It's the former one that particularly, I find

particularly appalling and telling. And so I think I can explain why. So we're going to walk through the pardon

and then I'll make comments where I think that would be helpful and appropriate. Today I signed a

pardon for my son Hunter. Okay, well, there's obviously a problem there because that's a conflict of interest that could hardly be clearer.

And so the moral improprieties and therefore the psychological improprieties make themselves known in the opening of the written statement itself.

From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department's decision-making.

That's half-truth at best.

It is the case that President Biden did say he wouldn't interfere with the Justice Department's decision-making,

but he said much more than that.

He said he would not pardon his son. And he said that repeatedly and so did his press secretary.

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