'It's a setback': Democrats criticize Biden over Hunter pardon
Democrats are signaling they are uneasy with President Biden's decision to grant a sweeping pardon for his son.
President Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter has sparked criticism from some of his fellow Democrats.
The move prompted a tidal wave of GOP criticism on Sunday night, but as of late Monday morning, a steady stream of Democrats had also expressed unease.
"As a father, I get it. But as someone who wants people to believe in public service again, it’s a setback," Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, wrote on X.
Hunter Biden’s sweeping pardon covers any and all possible crimes between 2014 and December of this year. It came as he was facing possible jail sentences over separate firearms and tax charges.
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The 82-year-old president accused Republicans of weaponizing the justice system against his son, who he said was "selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted."
"I respect President Biden, but I think he got this one wrong," said Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz. "This wasn’t a politically-motivated prosecution. Hunter committed felonies, and was convicted by a jury of his peers."
Jared Polis, the Democratic governor of Colorado, also criticized the decision.
"While as a father I certainly understand [Biden’s] natural desire to help his son by pardoning him, I am disappointed that he put his family ahead of the country. This is a bad precedent that could be abused by later Presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation," Polis said in a lengthy statement.
"Hunter brought the legal trouble he faced on himself, and one can sympathize with his struggles while also acknowledging that no one is above the law, not a President and not a President’s son."
Still, other Democratic allies of the president pushed back.
"Look at the underlying facts and usual DOJ practice Governor," former Attorney General Eric Holder, who served with Biden in the Obama administration, responded to Polis on X.
In a separate post, Holder wrote, "No [U.S. attorney] would have charged this case given the underlying facts. After a 5 year investigation the facts as discovered only made that clear. Had his name been Joe Smith the resolution would have been — fundamentally and more fairly — a declination. Pardon warranted."
Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., said he had "mixed views" on Biden's pardon.
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Like Holder, he argued that Hunter's family name was a factor in the prosecutions against him — but worried it could set a precedent that Republicans could use in return.
"Even though I don't think Hunter Biden would have been prosecuted under those circumstances, a pardon at this point will be used against, I think, Democrats who are pushing to defend the Department of Justice against politicizing it, which is certainly what President Trump plans to do," Ivey told CNN on Monday morning.
"I know that there was a real strong sentiment in, you know, wanting to protect Hunter Biden from unfair prosecution. But this is going to be used against us when we're fighting the misuses that are coming from the Trump administration."
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