ATLANTA -- Already reeling from their November defeats, Democrats grappled Monday with President Joe Biden's pardoning of his son for federal crimes, with some calling the move misguided and unwise after the party spent years slamming Donald Trump as a threat to democracy who disregarded the law.
The president pardoned Hunter Biden late Sunday evening, reversing his previous pledges with a grant of clemency that covers more than a decade of federal crimes his son might have committed. The president said in a statement his son's prosecution on charges of tax evasion and falsifying a federal weapons purchase form were politically motivated.
"He believes in the justice system, but he also believes that politics infected the process and led to a miscarriage of justice," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday. She, along with Biden and other White House officials, insisted for months that Hunter Biden would not get a pardon.
That explanation did not satisfy some Democrats, angry that Biden's reversal could make it harder to take on Trump, who argues that multiple indictments and a conviction against him were a matter of Biden and Democrats turning the justice system against him.
"This is a bad precedent that could be abused by later Presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation," Colorado Gov. Jared Polis wrote of Biden on social media.
"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."
Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., said on social media: "This wasn't a politically motivated prosecution. Hunter committed felonies and was convicted by a jury of his peers."
Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet said Biden "put personal interest ahead of duty" with a decision that "further erodes Americans' faith that the justice system is fair and equal for all." Michigan Sen. Gary Peters said the pardon was "an improper use of power" that erodes faith in government and "emboldens others to bend justice to suit their interests."
Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., called the pardon "understandable" if viewed only as the "action of a loving father." But Biden's status as "our nation's Chief Executive," the senator said, rendered the move "unwise."
Certainly, the president has Democratic defenders who note Trump's use of presidential power to pardon numerous aides, associates and friends.
"Trump pardoned Roger Stone, Steve Bannon, Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort," wrote prominent Democratic fundraiser Jon Cooper on social media.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison said there "is no standard for Donald Trump, and the highest standard for Democrats and Joe Biden."
"Most people will see that Joe Biden did what was right," Harrison said.
First lady Jill Biden
Of course I support my son's pardon.