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Editor’s note: This essay first appeared on the author’s blog: Res ipsa loquitur – The thing itself speaks
America is mourning the loss Sunday of one of the most genuinely decent men to ever serve in the Oval Office. Even for his critics, Jimmy Carter He was a model of empathy and integrity as an American president. After his presidency, he proved to be an even greater role model, working tirelessly to help those without home or hope. He gave us 100 years of a life committed to helping others and a lasting lesson in what it means to truly be a public servant.
Both President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump offered moving tributes to Carter.
President Biden spoke to the nation from St. Croix, in the United States Virgin Islands, on Sunday evening. In his comments he noted that Carter showed “what it means to live a life of meaning and purpose, a life of principle, faith and humility.”
He added: “Some look at Jimmy Carter and see a man from a bygone era with honesty and character. Faith and humility mattered, but I don’t think it’s a bygone era,” Biden said. “We would all do well to try to be more like Jimmy Carter.”
JIMMY CARTER, 39TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, DEATH AT AGE 100
President-elect Trump stated: “The challenges Jimmy faced as president came at a crucial time for our country, and he did everything he could to improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude. he”.
After Biden made his comments about Carter, he took questions from reporters. The media immediately saw the testimonial comments as an opportunity to investigate Trump, and Biden seemed eager to oblige.
When a reporter asked Biden what President-elect Trump should learn from Carter’s legacy, Biden responded:
“Decency, decency, decency… Can you imagine Jimmy Carter walking next to someone who needed something and just keeps walking? Can you imagine Jimmy Carter referring to someone by their appearance or the way they talk?”
It was a disconnection discordant with the moment of unity of both presidents.
It was also a curious choice of presidents that Biden made the comparison. There’s one other thing Carter wouldn’t do: forgive a family member involved in an influence-peddling scandal.
Throughout his presidency, Carter faced accusations that his brother Billy Carter took $200,000 from a Libyan dictator as a “loan” and only returned $1,000. There were also accusations that even more money was being made from overt influence peddling from foreign sources.
Sound familiar?
DOUG SCHOEN: JIMMY CARTER PROVIDED A MODEL FOR THE POST-PRESIDENCE
In fact, Biden’s defenders immediately tried to use Carter to deflect criticism of the president after he pardoned his son Hunter for falsely claiming who forgave Billy.
Grant Stern, editor of the advocacy group Occupy Democrats, wrote: “Jimmy Carter forgave his brother Billy Carter, who received more than $200,000 from Libya as his foreign agent. George HW Bush forgave his son Neil Bush for his role in the S&L scandals of the 1980s. No one believes that those pardons defined either presidency Joe Biden’s pardon of Hunter Biden won’t either.”
None of those pardons “defined any presidency” because none of those pardons existed.
(On ABC, “The View” co-host Ana Navarro even called for several family pardons, including mentioning another president to defend Hunter Biden’s pardon: “Woodrow Wilson pardoned his brother-in-law, Hunter deButts… But tell me again how Joe Biden ‘is setting a precedent’?” Many immediately told him instead, how Wilson didn’t have a brother-in-law named “Hunter deButts”, much less forgive him).
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In reality, despite persistent questions and investigations, Carter refused to forgive his brother. Instead, he told the American people the truth:
“I am deeply concerned that Billy received funds from Libya and may have obligations to Libya. These facts will govern my relationship with Billy while I am president. Billy has had no influence on US policy or actions regarding Libya. in the past and will have no influence in the future.
Unlike Carter, President Biden repeatedly lied to voters by denying that (1) Hunter had any dealings with the Chinese, (2) he ever met his son’s clients, (3) he knew of any of these dealings, and ( 4) would he ever forgive his son. He then pardoned Hunter for any and all crimes committed over the past decade, including potential crimes that many believe implicate the president himself in a multimillion-dollar influence-peddling scheme.
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Notably, when seeking a comparative dig at Trump, journalists did not seek to ask about this point of comparison with Biden.
We all knew that regardless of how one felt about Carter’s performance as president, there were some things he wouldn’t do in office.
Maybe that’s why “Some look at Jimmy Carter and see a man from a bygone era, with honesty and character.” They look at Biden himself and say, “We would all do well to try to be more like Jimmy Carter.”
