Colorado Gov. Jared Polis says he is “disappointed” in President Biden’s decision to pardon Hunter Biden, saying the president put his family ahead of the country.
Mr. Polis, a Democrat and former congressman, said he understood the president’s desire to protect his son, but the pardon set a dangerous precedent.
“This is a bad precedent that could be abused by later presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation. When you become president, your role is Pater familias of the nation,” he wrote on X, using a Latin term that refers to the father of a family and his authority.
The president announced the pardon late Sunday, condemning his son’s prosecutions as politically motivated — and reversing his promise not to use his executive authority to save his son from potential prison time.
While as a father I certainly understand President @JoeBiden’s natural desire to help his son by pardoning him, 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.…
— Jared Polis (@jaredpolis) December 2, 2024
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Hunter Biden faced a Dec. 12 sentencing in Wilmington, Delaware, for his conviction on three federal gun charges. He was also set to be sentenced in Los Angeles on Dec. 16 after pleading guilty to nine federal tax evasion charges.
The president said Republicans singled out his son with lengthy inquiries into his business dealings and personal life. But both sides of the aisle are criticizing the pardon.
President-elect Donald Trump called it an abuse of the justice system and suggested persons prosecuted for the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol should be pardoned.
Others said Hunter Biden had no one to blame but himself for his criminal convictions, so the president shouldn’t have stepped in.
“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,” Mr. Polis said.
Former Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., who served under President Obama, criticized Mr. Polis in comments below his online post. He said Hunter Biden was singled out due to the political climate, and most U.S. attorneys would not have prosecuted him given the age of the cases and fact patterns involved.
• Jeff Mordock contributed to this report.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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