Republicans accuse Biden of being a 'liar' following his pardon of Hunter, his son
The president's choice to exonerate his son sparked intense backlash from Republicans and stirred reactions among certain Democrats.
TroibNews 
Republicans have labeled President Joe Biden a “liar” following his decision to pardon his son, who recently pleaded guilty to tax fraud and was convicted on gun charges this summer.
This action comes after Biden stated he would "abide by the jury's decision" in an interview prior to his son's conviction in June, during which he was still a frontrunner for the Democratic nomination.
“Joe Biden has lied from start to finish," remarked House Oversight Chair James Comer in a post on X. "It’s unfortunate that, rather than come clean about their decades of wrongdoing, President Biden and his family continue to do everything they can to avoid accountability.”
Comer, a Kentucky Republican, has been one of the leaders in the ongoing impeachment inquiry examining the business dealings of Hunter Biden and other family members.
President-elect Donald Trump denounced the pardon as "an abuse and miscarriage of Justice" on his Truth Social platform, and he raised concerns about the implications of the Hunter Biden pardon for those involved in the January 6 Capitol attack. "Does the Pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years?"
Sen. John Barrasso, the third-ranking Senate Republican, expressed his disapproval in a post on X, stating, "Tonight’s pardon is wrong. It proves to the American people that there is a two-tier system of justice." Meanwhile, Sen. Chuck Grassley shared his disappointment regarding Biden's actions. He remarked that he was "shocked" since Biden had insisted "many many times" that he wouldn’t pardon Hunter.
"I believed him," Grassley wrote on X. "Shame on me."
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene described Biden's pardon as an "admission that Hunter is a criminal."
Texas Republicans were particularly incensed. Rep. Ronny Jackson labeled the Bidens as “DISGRACEFUL LIARS!!” in his post, while Rep. Wesley Hunt criticized Biden, saying, “Joe Biden just did the thing he told us he would never do, PARDONING his son for crimes he and the majority of the media told us he never committed.”
Conversely, Democrats defended the president’s choice.
Former Attorney General Eric Holder, who served under Barack Obama, deemed the pardon “warranted,” asserting, “No USAtty would have charged this case given the underlying facts.”
Rep. Jamie Raskin, one of the impeachment managers who opposed Trump, suggested on CNN that the circumstances around Hunter Biden's case might raise questions about the fairness of the prosecution. Raskin explained, “There is a defense called selective prosecution, if you can show that the government has a set of cases that all look alike, but they pick one person out to prosecute based on, say, a political animus towards the person, which essentially is the claim that Donald Trump has been making about why he was targeted.” He indicated that Hunter Biden might have been singled out due to his familial connection to the president. “The power exists for the president to show mercy for people who have committed crimes and either suffered some kind of injustice in the process or the punishment is disproportionate.”
However, not all Democrats supported the pardon. Rep. Greg Stanton voiced his opposition, stating, “I respect President Biden, but I think he got this one wrong.” The former Phoenix mayor further elaborated, “This wasn’t a politically-motivated prosecution. Hunter committed felonies, and was convicted by a jury of his peers.”
Colorado Governor Jared Polis expressed understanding of Biden's “natural desire to help his son” through the pardon, but noted, “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.”
Before receiving the pardon from his father, Hunter Biden faced sentencing in two separate cases: one set for December 12 in Delaware regarding gun charges, and another on December 16 in California concerning tax fraud, in which he pleaded guilty to failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes over several years.
Jordain Carney and Nicholas Wu contributed to this report.
Emily Johnson contributed to this report for TROIB News
This action comes after Biden stated he would "abide by the jury's decision" in an interview prior to his son's conviction in June, during which he was still a frontrunner for the Democratic nomination.
“Joe Biden has lied from start to finish," remarked House Oversight Chair James Comer in a post on X. "It’s unfortunate that, rather than come clean about their decades of wrongdoing, President Biden and his family continue to do everything they can to avoid accountability.”
Comer, a Kentucky Republican, has been one of the leaders in the ongoing impeachment inquiry examining the business dealings of Hunter Biden and other family members.
President-elect Donald Trump denounced the pardon as "an abuse and miscarriage of Justice" on his Truth Social platform, and he raised concerns about the implications of the Hunter Biden pardon for those involved in the January 6 Capitol attack. "Does the Pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years?"
Sen. John Barrasso, the third-ranking Senate Republican, expressed his disapproval in a post on X, stating, "Tonight’s pardon is wrong. It proves to the American people that there is a two-tier system of justice." Meanwhile, Sen. Chuck Grassley shared his disappointment regarding Biden's actions. He remarked that he was "shocked" since Biden had insisted "many many times" that he wouldn’t pardon Hunter.
"I believed him," Grassley wrote on X. "Shame on me."
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene described Biden's pardon as an "admission that Hunter is a criminal."
Texas Republicans were particularly incensed. Rep. Ronny Jackson labeled the Bidens as “DISGRACEFUL LIARS!!” in his post, while Rep. Wesley Hunt criticized Biden, saying, “Joe Biden just did the thing he told us he would never do, PARDONING his son for crimes he and the majority of the media told us he never committed.”
Conversely, Democrats defended the president’s choice.
Former Attorney General Eric Holder, who served under Barack Obama, deemed the pardon “warranted,” asserting, “No USAtty would have charged this case given the underlying facts.”
Rep. Jamie Raskin, one of the impeachment managers who opposed Trump, suggested on CNN that the circumstances around Hunter Biden's case might raise questions about the fairness of the prosecution. Raskin explained, “There is a defense called selective prosecution, if you can show that the government has a set of cases that all look alike, but they pick one person out to prosecute based on, say, a political animus towards the person, which essentially is the claim that Donald Trump has been making about why he was targeted.” He indicated that Hunter Biden might have been singled out due to his familial connection to the president. “The power exists for the president to show mercy for people who have committed crimes and either suffered some kind of injustice in the process or the punishment is disproportionate.”
However, not all Democrats supported the pardon. Rep. Greg Stanton voiced his opposition, stating, “I respect President Biden, but I think he got this one wrong.” The former Phoenix mayor further elaborated, “This wasn’t a politically-motivated prosecution. Hunter committed felonies, and was convicted by a jury of his peers.”
Colorado Governor Jared Polis expressed understanding of Biden's “natural desire to help his son” through the pardon, but noted, “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.”
Before receiving the pardon from his father, Hunter Biden faced sentencing in two separate cases: one set for December 12 in Delaware regarding gun charges, and another on December 16 in California concerning tax fraud, in which he pleaded guilty to failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes over several years.
Jordain Carney and Nicholas Wu contributed to this report.
Emily Johnson contributed to this report for TROIB News
