Liberal media commentators were largely defensive President Biden because he granted a sweeping pardon to his son Hunter on Sunday, after repeatedly saying he would not do so.
The first son was convicted in two separate federal cases earlier this year. He pleaded guilty to federal tax charges in September and was convicted in June of three gun crimes after lying on a mandatory gun purchase form by saying he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said just in November that the president would not pardon his son. That changed on Sunday evening, after the White House announced that Biden had pardoned Hunter for crimes against the US that he “committed or may have committed” from January 1, 2014 to December 1, 2024.
Following the announcement, several liberal media figures took to social media to justify Biden going back on his promise not to use the presidential office to benefit his own family.
REPUBLICANS HAMMER BIDEN’S ‘NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW’ CLAIM AFTER HUNTER PARDON: ‘OLD AS FINE MILK’
President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden embrace on stage at the end of the first day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on August 19, 2024. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
“Please spare me all the hypocritical outrage over Hunter Biden’s pardon,” the liberal columnist said Wajahat Ali wrote on Bluesky. “The same movement that supports and celebrates a criminal vulgar uprising and pardons its criminal friends now feigns outrage. Here I am playing the smallest violin in the world.”
“We don’t accept complaints about Hunter Biden’s pardon, unless you also complain about the pardons of Steve Bannon, Michael Flynn, Roger Stone and Paul Manafort,” said Mother Jones journalist and MSNBC analyst. David Koren wrote on Bluesky.
“When Addressing MAGA Republican Concerns About Hunter Biden Pardon, The Right Answer Is ‘Because You, That’s Why’,” former Obama administration official and MSNBC columnist Brandon Friedman wrote. “Stop second-guessing and apologizing in front of bad faith trolls, fascists and norm police,” he added.
“New rule: You can’t complain about Hunter Biden’s pardon on my feed unless you also admit that the Supreme Court pardoned Trump for a coup,” popular left-wing account Müller, she wrote posted on Bluesky.
Lawmakers Harshly Criticize Biden’s Decision to Pardon HUNTER: ‘LIAR’
President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden late on Sunday. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
“Hunter Biden’s TWO criminal cases were political prosecutions to attack President Joe Biden. The DOJ pursued unprecedented charges after a high-pressure campaign from Trump and his surrogates,” the MSNBC host said Katie Phang also wrote on Bluesky,
MSNBC legal analyst Joyce Vance also appeared on the liberal network on Sunday to defend Biden.
“This is President Biden exercising a power that he can exercise without question. Many presidents use the pardon power at the end of their terms in ways that not everyone agrees with. I think some people will agree, others will find objectionable given his previous statement that he would not use it in this way, but it is not an abuse of power.
Former CNN anchor Don Lemon also hit back at those who criticized Biden.
“Don’t be holier than thou. This isn’t really about politics. This is about being a parent,” he said in a video. “Of course he’s going to pardon his child.”
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Joe Biden, left, and his son Hunter Biden. (Getty Images)
However, some liberals reluctantly criticized the president’s decision.
“The pardon is understandable – but nevertheless reprehensible,” says anti-Trump lawyer George Conway wrote on Bluesky.
“IMO (in my opinion) if Joe Biden was going to pardon Hunter, he shouldn’t have said he wouldn’t pardon Hunter,” said one progressive journalist. Judd Wet wrote.
“All of these things could be true: Hunter Biden broke the law. Hunter Biden traded on his last name to make money. Hunter Biden’s actions were exploited and wildly exaggerated by unscrupulous Republicans in an attempt to harm his father,” said The Washington Post columnist. Philip Bump also wrote.
“Trump is worse” is never a good argument to justify bad behavior,” said publisher The Bulwark Sarah Longwell wrote on X.
Liberal media commentators called conservative criticism of Hunter Biden’s pardon “hypocritical.” (Getty Images)
“Yes, Trump is terrible, that’s why we are against him. In fact, the worse Trump is, the more important it is to #resist something similar to Trump’s behavior. Biden knows it’s wrong. That’s why he has promised again and again not to do it. It doesn’t make him the same as Trump. It doesn’t change how extraordinarily corrupt Trump’s current appointments are. It is simply wrong and we must say so, lest we forget that good and evil still exist and awareness of them is important for our president,” she added.
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Over the summer, Biden ruled out a pardon for Hunter before and after he was found guilty in the gun case.
“I’m not going to do anything,” Biden said after Hunter was convicted. ‘I’ll stick to it the jury’s decision.”
Greg Wehner and Alex Nitzberg of Fox News contributed to this article.
