Democrat lawmakers split over President's pardon of son Hunter Biden

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News on Dec 2, 2024

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Democrats were split Monday over President Joe Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter, with most leaders keeping quiet about the sweeping get out of jail free card.

A few lawmakers criticized Biden for breaking his previous promise not to grant any form of clemency to his troubled son, who was facing prison time after being convicted on a gun charge tied to his admitted drug use.

Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Virginia, said presidents should not have the power to pardon close relatives, a shift that would likely require amending the Constitution.

“As a father and a friend of Joe Biden, i can sympathize with his perspective that (Hunter Biden) was sub to vigilante justice,” Connolly said “But no other father has the power to pardon his son or daughter. This is an abuse of power and it needs to be corrected.”

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis slammed the decision as a black mark on Joe Biden’s legacy.

“This is a bad precedent … and will sadly tarnish his reputation,” Polis tweeted.

But most Democrats either kept their lips sealed or sought to preempt Republican criticism of the decision, noting that most Trump supporters have downplayed the president-elect’s crimes.

“If you defended the (34-times convicted) felon, who committed sexual assault, stole national security documents, and tried running a coup on his country…you can sit out the Hunter Biden pardon discussion,” Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., tweeted.

A Delaware jury convicted Hunter Biden last summer of a federal gun charge related to drug use, and he was expected to be hit with a prison sentence of about 13 months at a sentencing later this month.

The president’s only surviving son also pleaded guilty to federal tax charges and was facing a possible sentence of three years or more.

House Speaker Mike Johnson derided the pardon as a disgrace, especially after Biden repeatedly vowed not to do so.

“Trust in our justice system has been almost irreparably damaged by the Bidens and their use and abuse of it,” Johnson said Monday.

Trump himself suggested the Hunter Biden pardon would give him ammunition to pardon scores of his supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, calling those convictions a “miscarriage of justice.”