President Biden’s decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, sent shockwaves through the political landscape late Sunday.
The president defended his actions in a statement, asserting that the charges against Hunter—three felony charges related to his 2018 purchase and possession of a firearm—were politically motivated.
“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,” Biden stated.
The pardon sparked a fierce backlash, particularly among Republicans, who criticized the move as an abuse of presidential power.
President-elect Trump took to his Truth Social platform, denouncing the pardon as “an abuse and miscarriage of justice” and drawing a comparison to cases involving Jan. 6 rioters.
“Does the Pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years? Such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!” Trump wrote.
Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chair of the House Oversight Committee and a leading figure in the GOP’s impeachment inquiry into President Biden, accused the president of dishonesty.
“Not only has he falsely claimed that he never met with his son’s foreign business associates and that his son did nothing wrong, but he also lied when he said he would not pardon Hunter Biden,” Comer stated in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
The House Oversight Committee echoed Comer’s sentiment, calling the pardon part of a broader pattern of alleged misconduct.
“From the lawfare against President Trump to now the pardoning of Hunter Biden, Joe Biden’s unprecedented abuse of power has been a stain on the honor of the U.S. presidency,” the committee’s account posted on X.
Despite the GOP’s allegations, the impeachment inquiry into President Biden has so far yielded limited evidence linking him directly to his son’s foreign business dealings.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a member of the Oversight Committee, criticized President Biden’s pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, in a post on X, retweeting an earlier statement by Biden that proclaimed, “No one is above the law.” Greene replied, “Come to find out, Hunter is. But who is going to pardon Joe?”
The president’s original post about nobody being “above the law” was made on the day of former President Trump’s conviction in his New York hush money case earlier this year.
The House Judiciary Committee, which has also been investigating the Biden family, highlighted past assurances from Biden and White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre that Hunter Biden would not be pardoned. The committee posted on X, “You’ve been lied to over and over again.”
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chair of the House Judiciary Committee, argued that the pardon underscored the need for his panel’s impeachment inquiry into the president.
“Democrats said there was nothing to our impeachment inquiry. If that’s the case, why did Joe Biden just issue Hunter Biden a pardon for the very things we were inquiring about?” Jordan wrote on X.
Republicans in the Senate also voiced their disapproval.
“I’m shocked Pres Biden pardoned his son Hunter bc he said many many times he wouldn’t & I believed him. Shame on me,” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) posted.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) accused Democrats of fostering a “dual system of justice” in response to the pardon, stating, “One that protects Democrats and another weaponized against their political opponents.”
Former Attorney General Eric Holder, who served under President Obama, defended the pardon, arguing on X that no U.S. attorney would have pursued the case against Hunter Biden given the 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,” Holder said.
However, some Democrats expressed discontent over the president’s decision.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) voiced his disappointment, saying, “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. This is a bad precedent that could be abused by later Presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation.”
Rep. Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.) also disagreed with the decision, writing, “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.”
The White House and the Justice Department have not yet commented on the widespread reactions to the pardon.