Biden’s pardon of his son sparks criticism from Republicans and some Democrats • New Jersey Monitor

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son for federal gun and tax crimes — and all other crimes spanning nearly 11 years — has sparked outrage among Republicans, while few Democrats have criticized the outgoing president for it have set a possible precedent for the new GOP administration.

In a lengthy statement Sunday evening, Biden laid out his reasons for reversing his long-held position that he would not grant his son a pardon. He argued that Hunter Biden was unfairly targeted by Republicans, pointing out that the investigation began in December 2020, shortly after Biden won the presidential election.

The pardon would cover offenses that Hunter Biden “committed or may have committed or participated in during the period from January 1, 2014 to December 1, 2024,” according to the executive clemency authorization signed by Biden.

“No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can come to any conclusion other than that Hunter was singled out simply because he is my son — and that is wrong,” Biden said.

Trump and January 6th

President-elect Donald Trump took to his social media page TruthSocial and called the move “an abuse and miscarriage of justice!”

Trump questioned whether Biden’s pardon would include the 29 inmates being held at the District of Columbia Jail on charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Of those, 27 are charged with attacks on law enforcement after Trump incited his supporters to overturn the presidential election he lost.

“Does the pardon granted by Joe Hunter extend to the J-6 hostages, who have been imprisoned for years now?” Trump wrote.

With this move, Biden joined Trump and former President Bill Clinton in pardoning family members.

Biden has one of the lowest clemency rates compared to previous presidents. According to current Justice Department clemency statistics, more than 10,500 clemency petitions have currently been submitted to the White House.

Trump granted 143 pardons in his first term and Biden has granted 26 pardons so far, including his son’s. Former President Barack Obama granted 212 pardons.

Advocates and Democrats have urged Biden to exercise his clemency powers on behalf of the 40 men on federal death row before his term expires in January. The push comes as Trump is set to return to the White House. The former president expedited 13 executions of people on federal death row in the final six months of his first term.

The co-directors of Popular Democracy in Action, a progressive advocacy group, Analilia Mejia and DaMareo Cooper, said in a joint statement that Biden “should show the same compassion he showed his son and pardon the 10,000 clemency petitions on his desk “.

“The President has the power to grant clemency to thousands of people who have been wronged by the laws that govern the justice system and the political considerations that gave rise to them,” they said.

The federal indictment against Hunter Biden stems from a gun purchase in 2018. He lied on a form by checking a box confirming he was not using illegal drugs, but then actually used drugs while in possession of the firearm.

A federal jury convicted him in June and the weapons possession charge carried a possible prison sentence.

Hunter Biden also pleaded guilty to federal tax segregation charges in California.

Target for Republicans

Over the course of Biden’s presidency, House Republicans have held hearings and investigations into the Biden family’s finances, with a focus on Hunter Biden, largely to push corruption allegations against the president. There is no evidence that the president committed any wrongdoing.

But the pardon gave new ammunition to Biden critics, who noted that it contradicted what the president had long promised.

House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer, Republican of Kentucky, said in a statement Sunday that Biden “lied from start to finish about his family’s corrupt influence activities.”

“The charges Hunter faced were just the tip of the iceberg of the blatant corruption that President Biden and the Biden Crime Family lied to the American people about,” Comer said. “It is unfortunate that President Biden and his family continue to do everything they can to evade responsibility instead of disclosing their decades of misconduct.”

Many Republicans criticized Biden for changing his longstanding stance not to pardon his son.

“President Biden has often insisted that he would never pardon his own son for his serious crimes,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican of Louisiana, said on social media. “But last night he suddenly granted a ‘full and unconditional pardon’ for all offenses Hunter had committed for more than a decade! Trust in our justice system has been almost irreparably damaged by the Bidens and their use and abuse.”

Objection from the selective Democrats

Democrats in Congress remained largely silent about the pardon, but some, including Greg Landsman of Ohio and Greg Stanton of Arizona, criticized the move.

“As a father, I get it,” Landsman wrote on social media. “But as someone who wants people to believe in public service again, this is a setback.”

Stanton wrote in a social media post that while he respects Biden, “I think he misunderstood this.”

“This was not a politically motivated prosecution,” he said. “Hunter committed crimes and was convicted by a jury of his peers.”

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado wrote on social media: “President Biden’s decision puts personal interests above duty and undermines Americans’ trust that the justice system is fair and equal for all.”

U.S. Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, wrote on social media that the president’s decision to pardon his son was wrong.

“A president’s family and allies should not receive special treatment,” Peters said. “This was an abuse of power, it undermines trust in our government and encourages others to bend justice to their interests.”

On CNN, U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey of Maryland said he had “different views” on the pardon.

“I know there was a really strong feeling of wanting to protect Hunter Biden from unfair prosecution,” he said. “But that will be used against us as we combat the abuses emanating from the Trump administration.”

Trump pardoned

Trump himself granted controversial pardons, including for Paul Manafort, a former campaign official convicted of tax and bank fraud and alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

He also pardoned Roger Stone, who was convicted on charges that he lied to Congress about his knowledge of Russia’s efforts to discredit former first lady and 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Trump also pardoned his son-in-law’s father, Charles Kushner, who was charged with tax evasion and retaliation against a federal witness, the elder Kushner’s brother-in-law. Trump announced Saturday his intention to nominate Kushner as the next U.S. ambassador to France.

Last updated on December 2, 2024 at 3:57 pm