President Biden's decision to pardon his son Hunter Biden is further hurting a party already reeling from a hard loss in the election, with a wave of Democrats on Capitol Hill saying the move was Critics say it is counterproductive to his party's efforts to rebuild public trust in American institutions that are despised by Americans. elect Trump.
While some Democrats expressed some sympathy, President Biden was furious on many fronts, and most of those who spoke out said the measure did more harm than good.
“President Biden's pardon of his son Hunter is an understandable move by a loving father, but it is an unwise move by our nation's chief executive,” said Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vermont).said on social platform X.
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Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.)posted a pardonSen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) said it “puts personal gain above duty and further undermines the American people's trust that our justice system is fair and equal for all.”
The president announced a “full and unconditional pardon” for his son Sunday night, sending shock waves across Washington. This was a major reversal for the White House, which had insisted for months that the president would not pardon or commute Hunter Biden's sentence.
The president has argued that the charges against the younger Biden are motivated by politics and years of scrutiny of him by Trump and other Republicans, including a tortuous impeachment inquiry and now-discredited informants. Other lines of investigation instigated by the investigation have also been completed.
Hunter Biden's legal team similarly argued in a lengthy 52-page white paper released over the weekend that he faces tax and gun charges that “no one would have faced had it not been for the name 'Biden.'” claimed to be facing. He was scheduled to be sentenced later this month on charges of failing to pay taxes and lying on a gun permit.
But many Democrats believe that President Biden's decision to grant his son a full pardon, absolving him of all federal crimes he committed over an 11-year period, is an unfair and unfair system promoted by President Trump. It was seen as a kind of incitement to debate.
“As a father, I get it. But as someone who wants people to believe in public service again, this is a setback,” Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) wrote in X.
Even Democrats who say the Republican focus on Hunter Biden is too intense are second-guessing the president's move. Leaders on the Republican-led panel focused extraordinary attention on Hunter Biden, scrutinizing the Biden family's overseas business dealings.
“I can sympathize with his view that his son has been subjected to vigilante justice. I certainly witnessed that in the Republican depositions of Hunter Biden and his lawyers,” House Oversight and Accountability said. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), a member of the committee, said Monday on CNN.
“But with that said, what other father in America has the power to pardon his son or daughter if he or she is convicted?” Connolly added. “I really think we need to revisit the Constitution's pardon power, and at the very least limit it so that you can't pardon relatives even if you fervently believe they're innocent.” I think it's necessary.''
President Biden also faced criticism for reversing his longstanding stance of not pardoning his son. The president and the White House have said multiple times, most recently on November 7, two days after Trump's victory, that Hunter Biden will not be pardoned.
Rep. Dan Goldman of New York, a former federal prosecutor, said he agrees with the president's rationale for the pardon, that Hunter Biden's prosecution was politically motivated, but added, I wish he hadn't said anything,” he added. He failed at the idea of not pardoning Hunter Biden. ”
“It's disappointing that he has now taken back those words,” he added in an interview with CNN.
It's rare for Democrats to criticize their own president so openly, but there is little downside to doing so at this point. President Biden, an unpopular president, is on his way out of office after being pushed aside by his party and forced to abandon his re-election bid this summer.
People in battleground states could even score points by publicly denouncing the move. Indeed, criticism came from Democrats in battleground states like Mr. Landsmann and Rep. Marie Grusenkamp Perez (D-Wash.). who posted it“No family should be above the law.”
Indeed, a few Democrats defended Biden's decision, arguing that the move was justified given the possibility of a future Trump presidency. The White House announced Monday that Biden was concerned that Trump would continue to pursue Hunter.
Some dismissed the Republican criticism, pointing to the numerous charges against Mr. Trump in the run-up to Election Day.
“Good job, Joe,” said Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), a member of the oversight committee. “Let me be the first to congratulate the president on making this decision, because at the end of the day, we know that a felon with 34 convictions is going to be in the White House.”
“So I would say to anyone who wants to clutch their pearls right now, please look in the mirror because I have decided that I am going to forgive my son,” she added.
Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) said on CNN Monday that he has “mixed feelings” about the pardon.
“I think there's legitimate concern about what that would entail. I think that's part of why the president extended the pardon period for 10 years. It actually takes the president away from everything up to the statute of limitations. Because it's supposed to protect you,' basically against most crimes,” Ivey said. But he added, “The current pardons will be used against Democrats who have tried to protect the Justice Department from politicization, which is certainly what President Trump is planning.”
President Trump has already used the pardon to strengthen allegations of corruption in the Justice Department, and in response to this news, the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, incited by President Trump's 2020 corruption denials. They are bringing up people who are in jail for the incident. election.
“What an abuse and miscarriage of justice!” President Trump posted on Truth Social.
The Trump campaign also sent out a flurry of emails designed to raise money to promote the news, capitalizing on the very kind of debate Democrats feared. “Joe Biden weaponized the Justice Department against President Trump, and now he's giving Hunter Biden the sweetest deal of the century.”
President Biden's pardon of his son shocked Washington, but this bold act of a president pardoning a family member was unprecedented. Hunter Biden joins the list of presidential relatives pardoned by the president.
Connolly noted that President Trump chose Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, to be ambassador to France. During his last term, President Trump pardoned Kushner, who was sentenced to two years in prison in 2005 for tax evasion, illegal campaign contributions and witness tampering.
Former President Clinton also pardoned his half-brother Roger Clinton, who was convicted of cocaine possession.
But the lawsuit argues that Democrats have spent years claiming they are a party that respects law enforcement and the Justice Department, and have criticized their actions, including facing four criminal cases and This comes after President Trump, who was convicted of 34 felonies in one case, has been making parallel claims to the actions of President Trump. . During President Trump's legal tangles, Democrats sought to restore trust in institutions.
Some Democrats argue that President Biden's pardons run counter to that mission. The president's statement claimed that Hunter Biden was “chosen solely because he is my son, and that is wrong.”
“Hunter Biden's pardon was a mistake,” Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) wrote in the X. “I empathize with the love of fathers, especially for families that have experienced so much personal tragedy.'' I also understand the legal arguments in favor of a pardon. But presidential pardons are never determined solely on the merits of the case, especially when family members are involved. ”
“The president has great powers and responsibilities and must be held to a higher standard,” he added. “They must instill and promote faith in democracy among the American people, and preserving the fabric of democracy is now one of our most important tasks.”
