Biden faces growing blowback from Democrats over Hunter pardon
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Rep. Jared Golden at the U.S. Capitol on July 23, 2024. Photo: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images.
President Biden is facing a steady trickle of condemnation from members of his own party for issuing a pardon of his son Hunter over the weekend.
Why it matters: The pardon is already having downstream political ramifications for Democrats as Republicans try to tie them to it.
- Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), an incoming senator, wrote on X: "The Democrat party OWNS the Hunter Biden pardon!"
Driving the news: Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), a co-chair of the centrist Blue Dog Coalition, became the latest Democrat to call out the pardon Monday.
- "As a father, I understand the desire to do everything you can to help and protect your children," Golden said in a statement to Axios.
- But, he added, "I worry such a sweeping pardon for a close family member sets an unfortunate precedent that undermines trust in the office of the president."
- Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.), Golden's fellow Blue Dogs co-chair also condemned the pardon, calling it "the wrong decision."
Zoom in: "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" Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) said in a post on X.
- Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) called the pardon "unwise" in a statement.
- Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) said Monday in a post on X: "As a father, I get it. But as someone who wants people to believe in public service again, it's a setback."
- Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), who challenged Biden in the Democratic primary, criticized the pardon in a series of social media posts, writing in one that pardons "have been abused by Trump and now Biden."
Zoom out: Reps. Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.) and Jason Crow (D-Colo.), Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis also condemned the pardon, with Republicans raging against it.
The other side: Some Democrats have pushed back on the criticism, with several telling Axios that they sympathize with and support his decision.
- Said Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.): "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."
Go deeper: Why Biden pardoned Hunter: Guilty feelings, family solidarity
Axios' Stephen Neukam contributed reporting for this story.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include comments from several additional lawmakers.
