Topline
President Joe Biden shocked Washington on Sunday by issuing a full pardon for his son, Hunter Biden, pardoning criminal convictions related to gun ownership and tax evasion—a move that’s left Republicans angered and many Democrats critical, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 10: Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, departs a House … [+]
Key Facts
The Biden Administration repeated throughout the past year it would not pardon Hunter Biden in his criminal trial, leaving Republicans angered by the change in heart, with President-elect Donald Trump calling it “an abuse and miscarriage of Justice” in a Truth Social post
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., called out Biden Monday on X for going back on his statements, saying that “trust in our justice system has been almost irreparably damaged by the Bidens and their use and abuse of it.”
Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the chair of the House Oversight Committee and the leader of an impeachment inquiry into President Biden related to Hunter Biden’s business dealings, posted to X Sunday, calling the President a liar and saying it’s “unfortunate that, rather than come clean about their decades of wrongdoing, President Biden and his family continue to do everything they can to avoid accountability.”
Trump allies Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Rep. Nancy Mace, R-SC, made several posts on X after the announcement, with Mace calling the reversal “more of the same deceit from the White House” in a Monday post, alongside 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, R-Ohio, who also worked on the investigation into Biden as the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, posted to X late on Sunday questioning why Biden pardoned his son if “there was nothing to our impeachment inquiry.”
Several Democrats have spoken publicly about the pardon: Newsom exclusively told Politico Tuesday that he’s disappointed in Biden, Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., said Biden “got this one wrong,” Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., said the decision “erodes Americans’ faith that the justice system is fair and equal for all,” Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, said he understands the move but “as someone who wants people to believe in public service again, it’s a setback,” Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, called the move “unwise,” Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, said pardons shouldn’t be used for “family members or to hand out political favors,” Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., said the move confirms “well-connected people are often gifted special treatment by a two-tier justice system,” Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., called the move a “mistake” and Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., called it “wrong.”
Some Democrats are also warning against the pardon’s future implications: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said he understands the decision but called it a “bad precedent that could be abused by later Presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation,” Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, called it an “unfortunate precedent” in a statement to Axios and Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Mass., said to CNN his views are mixed but the pardon “is going to be used against [Democrats] when we’re fighting the misuses that are coming from the Trump administration.”
Crucial Quote
“With everything the president and his family have been through, I completely understand the instinct to protect Hunter. But I took the president at his word. So by definition, I’m disappointed and can’t support the decision,” Newsom, an ally and supporter of Biden during the 2024 election, told Politico.
Key Background
Hunter Biden, the President’s 54-year-old son, was convicted in June of three felonies relating to a gun purchase in 2018. Biden, who has struggled with drug addiction, was found guilty of falsely stating he was sober on the forms to complete the purchase. He also pleaded guilty in September to three felony tax charges and six misdemeanors for not paying more than one million dollars in federal taxes from 2016 to 2019 and evading his taxes in 2018. The convictions meant he could have faced decades in prison, but the pardon spared him from the sentencing in his trial, which was scheduled for mid-December. In his statement announcing the pardoning, the President said Hunter was “selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted” because of their relationship. Hunter Biden has also been the target of Congressional investigations regarding his business dealings with foreign countries.
What To Watch For
Trump—who pardoned dozens while in office, including Charles Kushner, his daughter Ivanka’s father-in-law—can’t reverse Biden’s decision. But Steven Cheung, the spokesperson for President-elect Donald Trump, said in a statement shared with NBC News that Trump intends to fix the “system of justice” once in office. “The failed witch hunts against President Trump have proven that the Democrat-controlled DOJ and other radical prosecutors are guilty of weaponizing the justice system,” Cheung said in the statement to NBC.
