A second Senate Democrat has criticized Hunter Biden’s recent pardon by his father, President Biden.
“President Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter is, as the action of a loving father, understandable—but as the action of our nation’s Chief Executive, unwise,” Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) said Monday in a post on the social platform X.
The president announced Sunday that he had pardoned his son, arguing Hunter Biden had been prosecuted for political reasons. Hunter Biden faced three felony charges on his purchase and possession of a gun in 2018.
“No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong,” President Biden said.
Republicans decried the decision to pardon Hunter Biden, with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) referring to it as abusing the justice system.
“President Biden insisted many times he would never pardon his own son for his serious crimes,” Johnson said on X Monday. “But last night he suddenly granted a ‘Full and Unconditional Pardon’ for any and all offenses that Hunter committed for more than a decade! Trust in our justice system has been almost irreparably damaged by the Bidens and their use and abuse of it.”
Republicans haven’t been the only ones expressing their displeasure with the president’s action on his son’s pardon.
Two Colorado Democrats, Gov. Jared Polis and Sen. Michael Bennet, were also critical of the pardon.
“President Biden’s decision put personal interest ahead of duty and further erodes Americans’ faith that the justice system is fair and equal for all,” Bennet said on X Monday.
The White House has defended Hunter Biden’s pardon, with press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre telling reporters on Air Force One that the president’s decision came about due to him thinking President-elect Trump would not give up on the prosecution of his son in the next administration.
“One of the reasons the president did the pardon is because it didn’t seem like his political opponents would let go of it, it didn’t seem like they would move on. And so, this is why this president took this action,” Jean-Pierre said.
The Hill has reached out to the White House for further comment.
