Democratic strategist David Axelrod criticized President Biden's son Hunter Biden's pardon response as “insufficient.”
“More than anything, it was handled poorly,” Axelrod told CNN's Anderson Cooper in an interview Monday.
His comments came less than a day after Biden announced Sunday that he would pardon his son for three felonies, including the illegal purchase and possession of a firearm in 2018. The decision upset politicians on both sides of the aisle and infuriated many Republicans. The president has consistently vowed not to get involved in his son's legal matters.
Axelrod suggested that Biden's decision to pardon his son was “defensive” in preparation for President-elect Trump's return to the White House.
“Part of it was defensive and I was worried about what they would do after he left office,” Axelrod said.
At the same time, the strategist was sympathetic to Biden's decision.
“Everyone in America knows how much loss the Biden family has suffered, and I think that comes into play here. He lost two children. He didn't want to lose another. So I feel for him,” Axelrod said.
He was referring to Biden's baby daughter Naomi Biden, who died in a 1972 car crash that also killed Biden's first wife, Neilia Biden. His eldest son, Beau Biden, died in 2015 of a brain tumor thought to be caused by exposure to radiation. He ingested toxic chemicals while serving in the Iraq War.
But Axelrod pointed to specific parts of Biden's statement, suggesting he made the decision not only as president but also as a father, and questioned how the public would view the act.
“But he said he hopes the American people understand what I do as a father and as president. I think people understand what he does, but not as president.” said Axelrod.
Hunter Biden, 54, was scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 12 in the federal gun case and Dec. 16 in the tax case.
Biden's lawyers filed notices of clemency in both cases Sunday night, asking the judge to dismiss the charges with prejudice. But Special Counsel David Weiss rejected suggestions that he was selectively prosecuting the younger Biden. in court filingswhere he also opposed the dismissal of the charges.
