Several Democrats in Congress spoke out today against President Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter Biden, who was convicted of gun charges and pleaded guilty to tax charges. The Democrats said it would erode Americans’ faith in democracy and the rule of law.

It would be easy to ascribe Biden’s sudden reversal on Hunter to the fact that Trump’s second election set fire to whatever hallowed protocols used to govern how politicians behaved. The Republican president-elect has been unambiguous about his plans to dole out clemency based on personal loyalty,