Democrats React to Biden’s Pardon of Son Hunter Amid Political Fallout

ATLANTA (AP) — Still recovering from November’s electoral setbacks, Democrats are now confronting the fallout from President Joe Biden’s controversial decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, for federal crimes. The move has sparked fierce debate within the party, with critics arguing it undermines years of efforts to portray former President Donald Trump as a lawless threat to democracy. Late Sunday, President Biden issued a sweeping pardon for Hunter Biden, covering over a decade of potential federal crimes, including tax evasion and falsifying a federal weapons purchase form. Biden justified the pardon by labeling the charges as politically motivated, reversing previous assurances that his son would not receive special treatment. “He believes in the justice system, but he also believes that politics infected the process and led to a miscarriage of justice,” said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. For months, both the White House and the president maintained that a pardon was off the table, making Sunday’s announcement a dramatic shift. The decision has divided Democrats, with some defending Biden’s family-first stance while others warn of political repercussions that could deepen the party’s recent losses and erode public trust.