WASHINGTON — GOP lawmakers began publicly fuming shortly after President Joe Biden announced he would pardon his son Hunter Biden.

President-elect Donald Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, responded to the announcement without naming the president or his son.

“The failed witch hunts against President Trump have proven that the Democratic-controlled Justice Department and other radical prosecutors are guilty of weaponizing the justice system,” Cheung said in a statement.

“This justice system must be repaired and due process restored for all Americans, and that is exactly what President Trump will do when he returns to the White House with an overwhelming mandate from the American people,” he continued.

Shortly afterwards, Trump himself publicly reacted to the news and cited criminal prosecution in connection with the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

“Does the pardon granted by Joe Hunter include the J-6 hostages who have been imprisoned for years? Such an abuse and miscarriage of justice!” Trump said on Truth Social.

Many Republicans in Congress, who have long criticized Hunter Biden’s behavior, were quick to attack the decision on social media, calling it an attempt to “evade accountability” and portraying the president as a “hypocrite.”

“His FBI and DOJ searched Barron’s bedroom and Melania’s closet at Mar-a-Lago,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said on X, referring to the federal raid on Trump’s Florida home The current lawsuit against Trump over confidential documents was dismissed. “Joe Biden is a liar and a hypocrite to the end.”

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Arizona, said on X that Biden “will go down as one of the most corrupt presidents in American history.”

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement. “Comer’s committee has sent criminal complaints to the Justice Department recommending charges against Hunter Biden.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said the decision “shocked” him.

“I am shocked that President Biden pardoned his son Hunter because he said many times that he would not do it and I believed him. Shame on me,” he said on X.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., argued that Americans could likely sympathize with Biden while still criticizing the move.

“Most Americans can relate to a father’s decision to pardon his son, even if they disagree,” he said on X. “What they can’t forgive is that Biden repeatedly lied about it before the election. “

The most immediate reactions came largely from Republicans, although Gov. Jared Polis, D-Colo., also spoke out and criticized Biden’s decision.

“While as a father I certainly understand President @JoeBiden’s natural desire to help his son by pardoning him, I am disappointed that he has put his family before the country,” Polis said on X. “This is a bad one Precedent that could be abused by future presidents and will unfortunately damage his reputation.”

Similarly, Democratic Rep. Greg Stanton of Arizona said he believes Biden “got this wrong.”

“This was not a politically motivated prosecution,” Stanton said on X. “Hunter committed crimes and was convicted by a jury of his peers.”

In his statement explaining his decision, Biden argued that his son was being “selectively and unfairly prosecuted.”

Biden’s plans to pardon his son were first reported by NBC News. He had publicly stated several times that he would not pardon him.

“No reasonable person looking at the facts of Hunter’s cases could come to any conclusion other than that Hunter was chosen solely because he is my son – and that is false,” the president said in the statement. “An attempt was made to break Hunter – who has been sober for five and a half years despite relentless attacks and selective prosecution.”

Hunter Biden was scheduled to be sentenced later this month on federal gun and tax evasion convictions. The charges related to two separate cases. He had pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion charges and was convicted by a jury after a trial of weapons possession.