To the Editor:

I feel compelled to respond to A.H. Liddle’s letter of Dec 19 (Two-tiered justice system?). The way I see it, President Biden had little choice but to pardon his son, Hunter, given the threats made by the incoming Trump administration to exact vengeance and retribution against anyone who has, for whatever reason, managed to curry its disfavor. As for the letter’s defamatory reference to the “Biden Crime Family,” this is a disproven trope routinely used by right-wing media to smear the president and endear themselves to the MAGA crowd. What IS proven, however, are the multiple (34 felonies and counting?) that Donald Trump has been found guilty of committing.

As someone who was raised in a family of career federal employees – and who has worked for the government himself in several capacities, albeit on a contractual basis – I can safely say I never saw evidence of any supposed “deep state.” What I did see was hard-working, decent men and women doing their best to fulfill their respective missions while adhering to the rule of law and the Constitution … and not, I might add, to the ego-centric interests of any one power-hungry individual. (On a personal note, in April 1991 while at the State Department in Washington preparing for a fellowship grant assignment to Eastern Europe, I was briefed by a decorated Foreign Service officer who happened to have been one of the Tehran embassy hostages – one noteworthy example of a hard-working, decent man.)

So no, A.H. Liddle, I don’t believe there is a “two-tiered justice system” as you describe it, at least not under the Biden administration. But that is bound to change under a grievance and revenge-fueled Trump administration, and its slew of unqualified director-designates such as firebrand Kash Patel, who vows to upend and dismantle the FBI and DOJ and to jail critics and reporters for simply doing their jobs. Granted, the bureaucracy is bloated, but what is needed is some mindful trimming not a mindless butchering.

As I reflect on the recent passing of one notably honorable former president, Jimmy Carter, I can’t help but grit my teeth at the prospect of yet another four years of one notably dishonorable one … and a “sore winner” at that!

Peter Carney

Warwick