Democratic strategist Julian Epstein says President Biden's sweeping pardon for his son Hunter on Sunday undermines "Democrats' self-proclaimed authority on the rule of law."
"While people can relate to a father's attempt to help a son, this is a tough sell to the American people and extremely bad branding for a president that most of the American people already feel has failed," Epstein, former chief counsel for the House Judiciary Committee and former staff director for the House Government Reform Committee, told Fox News Digital. "Biden and those around him clearly misled the American people about his mental capacity for a second term."
The White House on Sunday evening announced that the president pardoned Hunter for any crimes the 54-year-old "has committed or may have committed" between January 2014 to December 2024.
"The sweeping nature of this pardon – an all-you-can-eat, ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card for any illegal activities since 2014 – will certainly raise more questions as it covers alleged paid to play activities in which Joe Biden himself could have been implicated, according to Republican critics," Epstein said.
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A federal court found Hunter guilty in June on three counts of federal gun charges, and he pleaded guilty in September in a separate federal felony tax case.
"Biden and those around him clearly misled the American people about his mental capacity for a second term. With this pardon, they now appear to have misled the American people about their moral superiority on the question of democracy and rule of law," Epstein said.
"Democratic politicians and nearly the entire chattering class continuously and sanctimoniously claimed that Biden would never pardon his son and showcased that virtue signaling to attack Trump."
The White House could not immediately be reached for comment.
2 TIMES BIDEN SAID HE WOULD NOT PARDON SON HUNTER BIDEN
Biden wrote in his statement announcing his decision to pardon Hunter that his son's prosecution was politically motivated.
"It is clear that Hunter was treated differently," Biden wrote in his statement.
TRUMP PREVIOUSLY PREDICTED BIDEN WOULD PARDON SON HUNTER
"The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election. Then, a carefully negotiated plea deal, agreed to by the Department of Justice, unraveled in the courtroom – with a number of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure on the process. Had the plea deal held, it would have been a fair, reasonable resolution of Hunter’s cases," Biden said.
Hunter Biden also issued a statement following his father's decision.
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"I have admitted and taken responsibility for my mistakes during the darkest days of my addiction – mistakes that have been exploited to publicly humiliate and shame me and my family for political sport," Hunter said in a statement to Fox News. "Despite all of this, I have maintained my sobriety for more than five years because of my deep faith and the unwavering love and support of my family and friends."
"In the throes of addiction, I squandered many opportunities and advantages," he continued. "In recovery we can be given the opportunity to make amends where possible and rebuild our lives if we never take for granted the mercy that we have been afforded. I will never take the clemency I have been given today for granted and will devote the life I have rebuilt to helping those who are still sick and suffering."
Numerous politicians and pundits, plus Elon Musk, have pointed to a May 31 post from the president on X saying "[n]o one is above the law," calling the statement hypocritical and ironic.
Multiple media outlets, too, previously pushed the narrative that Biden would never pardon Hunter.
Fox News Digital's Emma Colton, Landon Mion and Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.
