Democratic senator blasts Biden's pardon of son

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) blasted President Biden on Monday for putting “personal interest ahead of duty” by granting his son Hunter Biden a blanket pardon for all crimes he committed or may have committed over the past decade.

“President Biden’s decision put personal interest ahead of duty and further erodes Americans’ faith that the justice system is fair and equal for all,” Bennet posted on the social platform X.

The veteran senator from Colorado is the latest Democratic to join a chorus of criticism over the president's pardon of his son, who was convicted on three felony counts related to buying a firearm and who pleaded guilty to nine federal tax charges in September.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, another prominent Democrat, said Biden’s decision would “tarnish” his legacy.

“This is a bad precedent that could be abused by later Presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation,” Polis wrote on X. “When you become President, your role is Pater familias of the nation.”

Polis disputed the president’s argument made in a statement released Sunday evening that Hunter Biden had been “selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted.”

“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,” Polis wrote on X.

Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed David Weiss, the U.S. attorney for the district of Delaware, to serve in the role of special counsel to handle the prosecution of Hunter Biden in an explicit attempt to shield the case from political interference.

The president on Sunday, however, claimed the charges against his son “came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election.”

Arizona Rep. Greg Stanton (D) also criticized President Biden over the pardon, noting Hunter Biden was fairly tried and convicted.

“I respect President Biden, but I think he got this one wrong. This wasn’t a politically-motivated prosecution. Hunter committed felonies, and was convicted by a jury of his peers,” he wrote on X.