“This is a bad precedent that could be abused by later Presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation,” Colorado's Democratic Gov. Jared Polis wrote in a post on X. He added that while he could sympathize with Hunter Biden’s struggles, “no one is above the law, not a President and not a President’s son.”
Biden aides and allies had been resigned to the prospect of the president using his extraordinary power in the waning days of his presidency to ensure his son wouldn't see time behind bars, especially after Donald Trump's win.
But the pardon comes as Biden has become increasingly isolated since the loss to Trump by Vice President Kamala Harris, who jumped in to the race after the president’s catastrophic debate against Trump in June forced his exit from the election.
He is still struggling to resolve thorny foreign policy issues in the Middle East and Europe. And he must reckon with his decision to seek reelection despite his advanced age, which helped return the Oval Office to Trump, a man he had warned time and again was a threat to democratic norms.
Reacting to the pardon, Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement, “That system of justice must be fixed and due process must be restored for all Americans, which is exactly what President Trump will do as he returns to the White House with an overwhelming mandate from the American people."
In a social media post, the president-elect himself called the pardon “such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice.”
“Does the Pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years?” Trump asked. He was referring to those convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol by his supporters, many of whom have been sentenced to multiple years in prison.
