Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is accusing President Biden of "irreparably" damaging the U.S. justice system on his way out the door after he granted a sweeping pardon to his son.
"President Biden insisted many times he would never pardon his own son for his serious crimes. But last night he suddenly granted a ‘Full and Unconditional Pardon’ for any and all offenses that Hunter committed for more than a decade!" Johnson said in a statement on Monday.
"Trust in our justice system has been almost irreparably damaged by the Bidens and their use and abuse of it. Real reform cannot begin soon enough!"
He's the highest-ranking Republican official to add to the tidal wave of criticism that followed the president's surprise decision on Sunday evening.
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Biden said he pardoned Hunter because he had been "treated differently" than others investigated for similar crimes, painting him as a victim of political weaponization.
"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," his statement said.
"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 – and that is wrong. There has been an effort to break Hunter – who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me – and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough."
The pardon affects Hunter's pending firearm and tax charges, which were both due to go to trial soon. But in a departure from tradition, the order covers any and all possible offenses from the start of 2014 through Dec. 1, 2024.
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In theory, that would cover any possible accusations brought by Republicans when they control the levers of power in Washington, D.C. next year.
Hunter is Biden's only surviving son after the death of Beau Biden from brain cancer in 2015.
The 81-year-old president's decision to pardon him sent shockwaves through members of both parties.
"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," Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., wrote on X.
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House GOP Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., wrote, "You’ve been lied to every step of the way by this Administration and the corrupt Biden family. This is just the latest in their long coverup scheme. They never play by the same rules they force on everyone else."
Meanwhile, a significant number of Democrats who spoke up did so in Biden's defense.
"If you defended the 34x felon, who committed sexual assault, stole national security documents, and tried running a coup on his country…you can sit out the Hunter Biden pardon discussion," Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., wrote on X.
