Several Senate Democrats blasted President Biden's decision to pardon his son Hunter Biden as inappropriate, saying it risks further eroding trust in government.
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) posted on social platform This further undermines the credibility of the country.”
Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) called the pardon “wrong.”
“The president's family and allies should not receive special treatment,” Peters said.his own× Posted on Monday. “This is an inappropriate use of power, undermines confidence in our government, and emboldens others to pervert justice to serve their own interests.”
Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vermont) wrote: post “President Biden's pardon of his son Hunter, while an understandable act of a loving father, is an unwise move by our nation's chief executive.”
The president announced Sunday that he had pardoned Hunter Biden's son, saying he was prosecuted for political reasons. Hunter Biden was charged with three felonies for purchasing and possessing a firearm in 2018.
“No reasonable person considering the facts of Mr. Hunter's case could come to any other conclusion than that Mr. Hunter was chosen solely because he is my son. That is wrong,” President Biden said. said.
Republicans condemned the decision to pardon Hunter Biden, with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) calling it an abuse of the justice system.
“President Biden has said many times that he will never forgive his own son who committed a serious crime,” Johnson said on Monday's X broadcast. “But last night, he suddenly granted Hunter a 'full and unconditional pardon' for every crime he committed over a decade!” Our faith in our justice system is due to the Bidens and their The use and abuse of the justice system has damaged it almost irreparably. ”
Colorado Governor Jared Polis was one of the first Democrats to criticize Biden's pardon.
“This is a bad precedent that could be exploited by future presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) wrote to X. “When you become president, your role is to be part of the Pater family across America.”
The White House defended Hunter Biden's pardon, with press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre telling reporters on Air Force One that the president's decision was made because he believed President-elect Trump would not give up on prosecuting his son in the next administration. That's what he said. .
“One of the reasons the president did the pardon was because his political opponents didn't seem like they were going to let go of the pardon and they weren't going to move on. That's why this president took this action.” Jean-Pierre said.
The Hill has reached out to the White House for further comment.
Updated: 3:15 p.m.
