Republican lawmakers criticized President Biden for awarding the highest civilian honor, the Medal of Freedom, to billionaire philanthropist George Soros and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The outgoing commander-in-chief won a total of 19 medals on Saturday. In addition to Soros and Clinton, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, actor Denzel Washington, chef Jose Andres, scientist Bill Nye, superstar professional soccer player Lionel Messi, and the NBA Eleven people received the award, including legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson. honor.
“As a cultural icon, a defiant voice, a dignified voice, a humanitarian, a rock star, a sports star, you feed the hungry, you give hope to the hurting, you inspire our movements. And we're creating signs and sounds of memory. You know, that's a great thing,” Biden said.
However, the president received backlash from Republicans in both houses of Congress for naming Soros, a long-time major donor to the Democratic Party, and former presidential candidate Clinton as medal recipients.
“Apparently, all it takes to receive President Biden's highest civilian honor is donate millions of dollars to him and his family,” said Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida). . said X's Saturday post said, “January 20th can't come soon enough.”
Soros, an American of Hungarian Jewish descent, has been frequently criticized by the political right.
“Joe Biden gave the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Hillary Clinton and George Soros, not Daniel Penny,” said Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) I wrote Saturday X. “Everything you need to know is written here. We're counting down to January 20th.”
Mr. Clinton received a standing ovation when he was introduced at the ceremony. The New York state senator served as Secretary of State in the Obama administration. She lost to President-elect Trump in the 2016 general election.
“Joe Biden awarded our nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, to Hillary Clinton and George Soros,” said Congressman Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.). I wrote Saturday on social media platform X. “What a joke.”
In the first quarter of 2024, the Soros-founded and funded nonprofit Policy Reform Fund donated $60 million to Democracy PAC, a liberal super PAC that supports Democratic candidates during the 2024 election cycle. . According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) Filings.
“Giving Soros the Medal of Freedom is outrageous, but not surprising,” said Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said Saturday. “Democratic politicians favor criminals over cops. They want violent criminals back on the streets. If you want less crime, vote Republican.”
