Top Democrats Call Out Biden for Pardoning Hunter: 'Put His Family Ahead of the Country'

Prominent Democrats are speaking out against President Joe Biden’s controversial decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden.

Despite earlier assurances that he would not intervene, the president issued the pardon on Sunday night, framing it as an effort to counter what he described as partisan attacks against his son.

However, Democratic Rep. Greg Stanton of Arizona criticized the decision. “I respect President Biden, but I think he got this one wrong. This wasn’t a politically-motivated prosecution. Hunter committed felonies, and was convicted by a jury of his peers,” Stanton posted on X.

Similarly, Colorado Governor Jared Polis expressed his disappointment. “While as a father I certainly understand President @JoeBiden’s natural desire to help his son by pardoning him, I am disappointed that he put his family ahead of the country,” Polis stated on X. He went on to warn about the broader implications of such a move: “This is a bad precedent that could be abused by later Presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation.”

Polis also reflected on the president’s broader responsibility: “When you become President, your role is Pater familias of the nation. 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.”

The criticism extended beyond American borders. Australian commentator Samuel Clench, writing in News.com.au, labeled the pardon an “abuse of power.”

“Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son, Hunter, in the dying months of his presidency is obviously an abuse of power. Obviously. There is no debate to be waged, no excuses to be made, no whataboutism that could possibly forgive it,” Clench argued in his op-ed.

He called out the apparent conflict of interest in the decision: “The guy is weeks away from retirement and has chosen to chuck his son a favour based on nothing more than their family connection. Ethics, norms and political conventions be damned.”

Clench also challenged readers to consider their response if the tables were turned: “Throw yourself into a hypothetical where Donald Trump is about to leave office, and one of his sons, let’s say Don Jr., has been convicted of a crime. And Mr. Trump pardons him. How would you react to that? Not well, I would hope.”

The Australian columnist further emphasized the gravity of Biden’s action. “Mr Biden had promised not to do this, for what that’s worth, though it has little bearing on the broader moral calculus. It is an indefensible act regardless of what he pledged,” he wrote.

Clench also noted the broader implications for Biden’s legacy: “The fact that he had committed to restoring respect for the rule of law, only to undermine it in his waning days, is just a teensy cherry of hypocrisy on top of the already festering cake.” He concluded, “Nothing, not even Mr. Trump’s victory in last month’s election, could have been more corrosive to whatever morsel remained of Mr. Biden’s legacy.”