Biden's Hunter pardon riles Democrats

3/12/2024 5:53

        President Joe Biden’s decision to
        pardon his son Hunter Biden drew sharp criticism from
        Republicans but also from fellow Democrats, who said the move
        sets a bad precedent and sows doubt in a U.S. justice system
        they have tried to defend against President-elect Donald Trump's
        attacks.
        
        Biden, a Democrat whose term ends on Jan. 20, signed an
        unconditional pardon for Hunter, 54, on Sunday and said he
        believed his son had been selectively prosecuted and targeted
        unfairly by the president's political opponents. On Monday, the
        White House said Biden also feared his political opponents would
        continue to persecute the younger Biden in the future.
        
        Biden previously pledged not to intervene in the two
        criminal convictions against his son. Many of his own allies
        said they sympathized with the president's urge to help out his
        troubled son but couldn't back the move.
        
        "As a father, I get it. But as someone who wants people to
        believe in public service again, it’s a setback," Ohio
        congressman Greg Landsman, a Democrat, wrote on X.
        
        Democrats are still reeling over Trump's defeat of Vice
        President Kamala Harris in November's election, which some
        blamed on Biden, 82, and his decision to remain in the race
        despite concerns over his age.
        
        Trump has spent the last few years lambasting the U.S.
        criminal justice system as a corrupt institution weaponized by
        Democrats as he faced a series of probes. His nominees,
        including Kash Patel at the FBI, have pledged to upend it and
        strip out employees if confirmed.
        
        Trump became the first U.S. president to be convicted of a
        crime earlier this year when he was found guilty of falsifying
        documents to cover up a payment to silence a porn star ahead of
        the 2016 election. He is seeking a dismissal of the case after
        sentencing delays and legal concerns about punishing a sitting
        president.
        
        He also faced federal and state criminal charges for his
        role in seeking to overturn the 2020 election results and the
        Jan.6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The federal charges have
        been dropped and the case in the state of Georgia is unlikely to
        proceed.
        
        Democrats were often the most vocal main defenders of the
        fairness and credibility of those criminal cases. Many say they
        now fear that Biden's pardon muddies the political waters and
        threatens to make the party's previous defense seem hollow.
        
        "President Biden’s decision put personal interest ahead of
        duty and further erodes Americans’ faith that the justice system
        is fair and equal for all," U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, a
        Colorado Democrat.
        
        U.S. congressman Greg Stanton, an Arizona Democrat, said he
        respects Biden but the decision was a bad one.
        
        "This wasn’t a politically-motivated prosecution. Hunter
        committed felonies, and was convicted by a jury of his peers,"
        Stanton said.
        
        Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who served under
        Democratic President Barack Obama, took to X to defend Biden's
        move, arguing no U.S. attorney would have charged the 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," Holder said.