House Republicans rage at Biden's pardon of Hunter

• At issue for many Republicans is Biden's previous statement that he would not pardon Hunter or grant him a commutation.

What they're saying: "Joe Biden has lied from start to finish about his family's corrupt influence peddling activities," said House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.), who led the impeachment inquiry.

• Comer added: "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."
• "I've seen unseemly pardons since Bill Clinton. This fits that category," said Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a swing-district centrist.
• "Biden just cemented his legacy as one of our very worst presidents," Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) said in a post on X.

State of play: Biden said in a statement on Sunday that "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."

• Hunter was convicted on felony gun charges and pleaded guilty to felony tax charges.
• "He clearly was in desperate need of a pardon," said Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas).

Zoom in: Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), another impeachment leader, argued that the pardon validates the GOP probe.

• "Democrats said there was nothing to our impeachment inquiry. If that's the case, why did Joe Biden just issue Hunter Biden a pardon for the very things we were inquiring about?" he posted on X.

The other side: Former Obama White House counsel Neil Eggleston told NBC News, "If I were his White House counsel, I would encourage him to pardon his son."

• "The clemency power has few limitations and certainly would extend to a Hunter Biden pardon," he said.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from Rep. Don Bacon.