Hunter Biden’s pardon draws criticism from Trump, Democrats and Republicans
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Hunter Biden’s pardon draws criticism from Trump, Democrats and Republicans

Posted on by Amelia Pressman

Topline

President Joe Biden shocked Washington on Sunday by granting his son Hunter Biden a full pardon and pardoning criminal convictions related to gun possession and tax evasion – a move that angered Republicans and left some Democrats critical.

Important facts

The Biden administration reiterated over the past year that it would not pardon Hunter Biden in his criminal trial, angering Republicans at the change of heart. President-elect Donald Trump called it “an abuse and miscarriage of justice” in a Truth Social post.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., called out Biden on Monday

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chairman of the House Oversight Committee and head of an impeachment inquiry into President Biden related to Hunter Biden’s business dealings, posted Sunday on Instead of disclosing their decades of misconduct, President Biden and his family continue to do everything they to avoid responsibility.”

Trump allies Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Rep. Nancy Mace, R-SC, penned several posts on Monday’s post following the announcement, along with other Republicans including Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri and Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.

Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, who was also involved in the Biden investigation as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, wrote in a post late Sunday

Several Democrats have spoken publicly about the pardon: Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Arizona, said Biden “got this wrong,” Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Coloro, said the decision “undermines Americans’ trust in the justice system.” . is fair and equal for everyone,” Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, said he understands the move, but “as someone who wants people to believe in public service again, this is a setback,” and Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, called the move “unwise.”

Some Democrats are also warning about the future impact of the pardon: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said he understood the decision but called it a “bad precedent that could be abused by future presidents and, unfortunately, will tarnish his reputation,” he said Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, called it an “unfortunate precedent” in a statement to Axios, and Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Mass., told CNN his views are mixed but the pardon “will be against (Democrats) will be deployed as we combat the abuses emanating from the Trump administration.”

Important background

Hunter Biden, the president’s 54-year-old son, was convicted in June of three felonies related to a 2018 gun purchase. Biden, who has struggled with drug addiction, was found guilty of falsely stating he was sober on forms to fill out the purchase. He also pleaded guilty in September to three felony tax charges and six misdemeanor counts of failing to pay more than $1 million in federal taxes from 2016 to 2019 and evading his taxes in 2018. The convictions meant he could face decades in prison, but the pardon spared him from sentencing at his trial scheduled for mid-December. In his statement announcing the pardon, the president said Hunter had been “selectively and unjustifiably” prosecuted because of their relationship. Hunter Biden has also been the subject of congressional investigations into his foreign business dealings.

What you should pay attention to

Trump — who pardoned dozens during his time in office, including Charles Kushner, his daughter Ivanka’s father-in-law — cannot reverse Biden’s decision. But Steven Cheung, spokesman for President-elect Donald Trump, said in a statement shared with NBC News that Trump intends to fix the “justice system” once he is in office. “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 the statement to NBC.

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