Newsom says he's disappointed by Biden's decision to pardon son

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said he is disappointed by President Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter Biden, according to a Tuesday report.

“With everything the president and his family have been through, I completely understand the instinct to protect Hunter,” Newsom said, with the California governor’s comments first reported by Politico.

“But I took the president at his word. So by definition, I’m disappointed and can’t support the decision,” he added.

Late Sunday, the president announced the pardoning of his son Hunter Biden and argued in a statement that the charges brought against his son, which included three felony charges for the purchase and possession of a gun in 2018, came about due to political reasons.

President Biden's decision to pardon his son marked a reversal from his previous stance, as the president and his allies had said he was not going to offer a pardon for more than a year.

Many Republicans quickly came out against the pardon, with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Monday referring to it as an abuse of the justice system.

“President Biden insisted many times he would never pardon his own son for his serious crimes,” Johnson said on the social platform X. “But last night he suddenly granted a ‘Full and Unconditional Pardon’ for any and all offenses that Hunter committed for more than a decade! Trust in our justice system has been almost irreparably damaged by the Bidens and their use and abuse of it.”

Beyond Newsom, other Democrats, including Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Sens. Peter Welch (Vt.), Tammy Baldwin (Wis.) and Gary Peters (Mich.), have expressed frustration with the pardon.

The Hill has reached out to the White House for further comment.