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Katherine Fung

By Katherine Fung

Senior Writer

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President Joe Biden is drawing flak from his own party again—this time for pardoning his son Hunter after years of insisting he would never take such action.

Biden announced Sunday night that he had signed a "Full and Unconditional Pardon" for any federal crimes that his son may have committed between January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024. The move, which comes in the final weeks of his presidency, marks a major reversal from the position that he and the White House have taken over the last four years.

"From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department's decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted," Biden said in a statement announcing his decision.

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"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," the president said.

"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. 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."

Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment.

Biden Pardon Democrats List

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Hunter was set to be sentenced in two separate criminal cases in the coming weeks: a felony gun charge and federal tax fraud. The president's son was convicted of three separate felony charges related to the 2018 purchase of a revolver in June. He also admitted nine tax evasion charges in September.

The pardon was a political bombshell that Republicans have used to further President-elect Donald Trump's claims that the Justice Department has been weaponized against him and that the Biden family has been crooked for years. The move also sparked backlash among members of Biden's own party, who argue Biden's "personal interest" has come before the country.

"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," Democratic Senator Michael Bennet wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday.

"President Biden's decision to pardon his son was wrong," Democratic Senator Gary Peters said. "A president's family and allies shouldn't get special treatment. This was an improper use of power, it erodes trust in our government, and it emboldens others to bend justice to suit their interests."

Colorado Governor Jared Polis, a Democrat, also said while he understood the president's "natural desire to help his son," he was disappointed Biden "put his family ahead of the country."

"This is a bad precedent that could be abused by later presidents and will sadly tarnish [Biden's] reputation," Polis said.

He added: "Hunter brought the legal trouble he faced on himself, and one can sympathize with his struggles while also acknowledging that no one is above the law, not a President and not a President's son."

Others on the left, however, defended Biden, suggesting it was a double standard given the string of last-minute pardons that Trump himself made before leaving office in 2021, including a grant of clemency to his daughter's father-in-law, Charles Kushner, who he also just appointed as U.S. Ambassador to France.

"Trump pardoned Roger Stone, Steve Bannon, Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort, as well as his son-in-law's father, Charles Kushner—who he just appointed U.S. ambassador to France," prominent Democratic fundraiser Jon Cooper wrote on X.

"If you defended the 34x felon, who committed sexual assault, stole national security documents, and tried running a coup on his country … you can sit out the Hunter Biden pardon discussion," Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell added.

Trump has denied all alleged crimes and said that was the victim of a political witch hunt.

Newsweek reached out to Trump's transition team for comment.

Democrat Bakari Sellers, who served in South Carolina's House of Representatives for nearly a decade, also argued that Republicans "ran (AND won on pardoning actual insurrectionist). Chill on a man pardoning his son."

"Thank God. Pardon Hunter. Trump plays by no rules. Abuses the law. He would've pardoned Hunter and called you a coward for not doing it," Sellers tweeted.

Here is the full list of Democrats who have criticized Biden's pardoning of his son:

"As a father, I get it. But as someone who wants people to believe in public service again, it's a setback," Landsman wrote on X.

Stanton said, "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."

"President Biden's pardon of his son confirms a common belief I hear in Southwest Washington: that well-connected people are often gifted special treatment by a two-tier justice system," Gluesenkamp Perez wrote. "The President made the wrong decision. No family should be above the law."

Crow added, "The Hunter Biden pardon was a mistake. I sympathize with a father's love, especially in a family that has experienced so much personal tragedy. I also understand the legal arguments in favor of a pardon. But Presidential pardons are never judged solely on the merits of the case, particularly when it involves a family member."

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