To no one’s surprise, Joe Biden and his team are drafting new ethics rules in preparation for the presidency.

No doubt he wants to return to those scandal-free days of “the most ethical administration in history” — you know, the one that crushed private citizens, bribed Iran, lied about Benghazi, and spied on individual journalists, entire news organizations, and even its successor in the White House. Yeah, that one.

As The Washington Post reports — and with a straight face, no less — “Biden is preparing to step back into the Oval Office with radically different expectations about how he will handle the relationship between his official power and his family’s private interests. After President [Donald] Trump’s years of mixing family with governing and an election that highlighted the business dealings of Biden’s son Hunter, the president-elect has promised to keep his family from being hired into his administration, to prohibit family entanglements with ‘any foreign operation’ and to go even further.”

“Too late!” says Xi Jinping.

If ever an incoming administration were beholden to a hostile foreign power, it’s this one. And the ChiComs are no doubt licking their chops. Whereas President Trump dropped the gloves and went at it tooth-and-nail with China, significantly weakening its stature among civilized nations, Biden has been an apologist, a truckling, a pussycat.

As even a Democrat organ like the Post concedes, “The potential family conflicts, both with Biden and his top White House advisers, are more extensive than the Obama White House confronted. Biden’s son Hunter is facing a federal investigation over taxes paid on a business venture in China, which also included Biden’s brother, James Biden, a situation that is certain to test the president-elect’s promise to let the Justice Department operate independently of his personal interests.”

About those “radically different expectations” of which the Post speaks, Power Line’s Paul Mirengoff has a question: “Different than what?”

“My son, my family will not be involved in any business, any enterprise that is in conflict with or appears to be in conflict,” says Scranton Joe.

“That’s easy for Biden to say now,” Mirengoff notes. “He and his family have already enriched themselves beyond their wildest dream by trading off of Joe’s influence and position as vice president. But you never know. A guy like Hunter Biden will always want to eat. So many strip club VIP lounges, so little time.”

Given the recent revelations of Biden family corruption, is it any wonder that President Trump is seriously considering the appointment of a special counsel to investigate them?

National Review’s Andy McCarthy, for one, thinks it’s a good idea. He writes, “[Outgoing] Attorney General Bill Barr has already appointed a special counsel for the Russiagate probe, and the argument for such an appointment is even stronger here, where at issue is an investigation of the incoming president’s son under circumstances where the incoming president’s own conduct is involved [emphasis added].”

Always remember: This is about Joe, not Hunter.

But in addition to ensuring that we’d get to the bottom of Hunter Biden’s dirty dealing, we think a special counsel would make a lovely parting gift.

Regardless, Biden’s promise to turn over a new leaf is a radical departure from his family’s money-grubbing, influence-peddling, China-cheering activities of the past four years. “China is going to eat our lunch?” he famously asked at a 2019 rally in Iowa.

Wait for it. Waaaaaait for it…

“Come on, man!”