Republicans Slam Biden’s Controversial Pardon of His Son Hunter

President Joe Biden’s decision to grant a full and unconditional pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, has sparked a storm of outrage among Congressional Republicans. The pardon, announced Sunday, has drawn sharp criticism, particularly from GOP lawmakers who have placed Hunter Biden at the center of their investigations into the Biden family's business dealings.

Hunter Biden has been a key focus of Republican-led probes, with House Republicans using his business activities as a foundation for their impeachment inquiry into President Biden. The pardon is seen by many GOP members as a contradiction to Biden's earlier stance that he would not pardon or commute his son’s sentence.

Republican Reactions

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.), who has spearheaded the impeachment inquiry, did not mince words. “Joe Biden has lied from start to finish about his family’s corrupt influence-peddling activities,” Comer said, as per a report from Axios. He 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.”

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), known as a centrist voice within the GOP, compared Biden’s move to controversial pardons of the past. “I’ve seen unseemly pardons since Bill Clinton. This fits that category,” Bacon remarked.

Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) went even further, blasting the president’s decision on social media. “Biden just cemented his legacy as one of our very worst presidents,” Kiley wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) pointed to Hunter Biden’s criminal charges—felony gun and tax offenses—as justification for the backlash. “He clearly was in desperate need of a pardon,” Roy said.

Judiciary Chair Speaks Out

Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who has been leading the impeachment efforts, claimed the pardon vindicated the Republican investigation. “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?” Jordan posted on X.

President Biden’s Defense

In a statement, President Biden defended his decision, insisting the charges against his son were politically motivated. “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,” Biden said.

What’s Next?

The pardon is likely to intensify the already heated debate over Hunter Biden’s legal troubles and their impact on the Biden presidency. For Republicans, it adds fuel to their ongoing investigations. For Democrats, it reinforces their argument that Hunter Biden’s legal troubles have been disproportionately politicized.

The political fallout from this high-profile pardon will likely dominate discussions in Washington for weeks to come.