WASHINGTON Shortly after President Joe Biden declared that he was pardoning his son Hunter Biden, Republican politicians publicly erupted in rage.
Steven Cheung, the communications director for President-elect Donald Trump, responded to the news without mentioning either the president or his son.
“The failed witch hunts against President Trump have proven that the Democrat-controlled DOJ and other radical prosecutors are guilty of weaponizing the justice system,” Cheung said in a press release.
“That system of justice must be fixed and due process must be restored for all Americans, which is exactly what President Trump will do as he returns to the White House with an overwhelming mandate from the American people,” he said.
Trump responded to the news in public shortly after, bringing up the prosecution of those involved in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Are the J-6 Hostages, who have been in prison for years, included in Joe’s pardon of Hunter? What a miscarriage of justice and abuse!” On Truth Social, Trump remarked.
The decision was promptly criticized on social media by numerous Republicans in Congress who have long criticized Hunter Biden’s actions, portraying the president as a hypocrite and accusing him of trying to evade accountability.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., stated on X that “His FBI and DOJ raided Barron’s bedroom and Melania’s closet at Mar-a-Lago,” alluding to the federal raid on Trump’s Florida residence in relation to the now-dismissed case involving classified data. “Joe Biden is a liar and a hypocrite, all the way to the end.”
Arizona Republican Representative Andy Biggs stated on X that Biden “will go down as one of the most corrupt presidents in American history.”
The House Oversight Committee’s chair, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., stated on X, “It’s unfortunate that, rather than come clean about their decades of wrongdoing, President Biden and his family continue to do everything they can to avoid accountability.” The Justice Department has received criminal referrals from Comer’s committee suggesting prosecution against Hunter Biden.
Senator Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, said he was “shocked” by the decision.
“I m shocked Pres Biden pardoned his son Hunter bc he said many many times he wouldn t & I believed him Shame on me,”he said on X.
While condemning the decision, Sen. Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, contended that Americans could be inclined to sympathize with Biden.
“Most Americans can sympathize with a father s decision to pardon his son, even if they disagree,” he stated on X. “What they can t forgive is Biden lying about it repeatedly before the election.”
Though few Democrats also voiced their opinions, Republicans had the most quick responses. Biden’s choice was attacked by Colorado Governor Jared Polis, a Democrat.
“I am disappointed that President @JoeBiden put his family before the country, even though as a father I certainly understand his natural desire to help his son by pardoning him,” Polis posted on X. Unfortunately, this will damage his reputation and set a poor precedent that could be used by future presidents.
In a similar vein, Arizona Democratic Representative Greg Stanton stated that he believed Biden “got this one wrong.”
Stantons stated, “This wasn’t a politically-motivated prosecution,” on X. “Hunter committed felonies, and was convicted by a jury of his peers.”
However, Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland discussed the prospect of a pardon earlier Sunday in order to provide a potential explanation of what the foundation for a pardon may be, before Biden made his remark.
Raskin stated on CNN that there is a defense known as selective prosecution. The president has the authority to show mercy to those who have committed crimes and either suffered injustice in the process or received disproportionate punishment if it can be demonstrated that the government has a number of cases that appear to be similar, but they choose to prosecute one individual based on, say, political animosity toward the individual. This is essentially the argument Donald Trump has been making about why he was singled out.
Biden cited similar arguments in his speech outlining his decision, claiming that his son was “being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted.”
NBC News was the first to report on Biden’s intentions to pardon his son. He had often stated in public that he would not forgive him.
“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,” the president stated in his statement. “There has been an effort to break Hunter who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution.”
Later this month, Hunter Biden was scheduled to receive his sentence for his convictions on federal tax evasion and firearms offenses. Two distinct cases were connected to the charges. He had entered a guilty plea to the federal tax evasion counts, and following a trial on the weapons charges, a jury found him guilty.
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