Rep. Greg Stanton criticized President Biden for pardoning his son, Hunter, on federal charges, with the Arizona Democrat saying 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 wrote in a post on X in response to President Biden’s pardon announcement late Sunday.
Stanton, who was one of many Democrats who called for Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race, is not the only Democrat criticizing Biden’s move.
“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,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) said on X on Sunday. “This is a bad precedent that could be abused by later Presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation.”
In June, Hunter Biden, 54, was found guilty in a federal case on three felony charges over his purchase and possession of a gun in 2018, violating the law by concealing drug use. He was set to face sentencing in his federal gun case on Wednesday.
In September, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to nine federal tax charges, avoiding a trial.
President Biden and his team initially emphasized that there were no plans to pardon Hunter, with White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre saying two days after President-elect Trump’s victory that the answer was still “no” when asked about a possible pardon.
Biden, however, argued late Sunday that the charges against his son were politically motivated.
“There has been an effort to break Hunter — who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution,” he said in a statement. “In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me — and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough.”
