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— Editor in Chief Paul Glastris
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Number of Indictments and Convictions of Biden White House Appointees: Zero
President Joe Biden‘s decision to give his son Hunter Biden a blanket pardon for anything he might have done since 2014 is attracting predictable criticism, which will unfortunately obscure a broader truth.
The Biden administration is one of the most ethical, least criminal federal administrations in history.
I’ll make the case. But first, here’s what’s leading the Washington Monthly website:
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Should Democrats Form a Shadow Cabinet?: James D. Zirin, a former federal prosecutor, urges Democrats to follow the “English model” and name leaders to “birddog” Trump administration cabinet members. Click here for the full story.
The Least Terrible Way for Ukraine to Negotiate with Russia: Tamar Jacoby, of the Progressive Policy Institute’s New Ukraine Project, offers some realpolitik advice to help Ukraine the expected tilt toward Russia once Donald Trump reclaims power. Click here for the full story.
***How clean is the Biden administration? No political appointee of Biden’s was indicted or convicted of a crime. And no cabinet officials resigned following accusations of impropriety.
That’s a remarkable ethical achievement for a presidential administration.
The same cannot be said for most of the last several administrations.
Donald Trump’s first national security adviser Michael Flynn pled guilty in 2017 for making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, though Flynn later tried to withdraw his plea, and in 2020 Trump pardoned him. Several Trump campaign officials in the 2016 and 2020 campaigns were indicted or convicted, with Roger Stone, Stephen Bannon, Paul Manafort, and George Papadopoulos receiving pardons.
Trump also had three of his appointed cabinet officials resign in the wake of ethics scandals–Tom Price of Health and Human Services, Ryan Zinke of Interior, and Alex Acosta of Labor–plus his Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt.
The ethics scorecard for the Barack Obama administration is impressive. When Obama was stumping for Democrats in the 2018 midterms, he was fond of noting “Nobody in my administration got indicted.” True, but he didn’t quite pitch a perfect game. His second Central Intelligence Agency director, David Petraeus, was almost indicted for feloniously sharing government secrets with his mistress but instead pled guilty for a misdemeanor in a plea deal.
Also, the General Services Administration head Martha Johnson resigned after reports of excessive spending by her deputies at a conference, though this could be viewed as an ethically honorable act of a government executive accepting responsibility for the transgressions of her employees.
The George W. Bush administration was less impressive, with several members convicted for ethical violations and others pressured to resign. Three were convicted of charges related to the Jack Abramoff illegal lobbying scandal, including a Deputy Interior Secretary, one of whom was later pardoned by Trump. Scooter Libby was convicted for perjury and other offenses related to the Valerie Plame leak scandal, and later–you guessed it–pardoned by Trump.
It’s not always Republican administrations with imperfect ethics records. The Whitewater investigation of Bill Clinton administration ensnared Associate Attorney General Webster Hubbell for wire fraud. Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy was indicted for accepting illegal gifts and resigned, but was ultimately acquitted. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Henry Cisneros resigned and pled guilty to a misdemeanor for lying to the FBI regarding payments to a mistress, though was later pardoned by Clinton.
Ronald Reagan’s administration was so ethically compromised Democrats talked of its “sleaze factor” in the run-up to the 1984 election. Politifact tallied up the two-term Reagan criminal record: “33 people indicted. 18 people indicted (16 convicted) in an investigation of fraud, corruption and influence-peddling within the Department of Housing and Urban Development; 14 people, including Caspar Weinberger and Oliver North, charged (11 convicted) in the Iran-contra scandal, an illicit arms deal with Iran orchestrated by members of the administration; and White House aide Lyn Nofziger was charged (his conviction was overturned) over corruption allegations surrounding Wedtech, a military contractor.” Reagan’s successor, George H. W. Bush, pardoned six in the Iran-Contra scandal.
Opinions about the Hunter Biden pardon will surely differ. But the cleanliness of the Biden administration is not a matter of opinion. The proof is in the indictments, or lack thereof.
Best,
Bill
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