California Gov. Gavin Newsom condemns President Joe Biden’s pardon of son. ‘Disappointed’
Gov. Gavin Newsom Tuesday became one of the most prominent Democrats to condemn President Joe Biden’s pardoning of his son Hunter.
Newsom told POLITICO that he was “disappointed” and did not support the president’s decision to absolve Hunter Biden on Sunday after the younger Biden pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion charges in September and was convicted in June for illegally buying a gun. Hunter Biden, 54, was set to be sentenced later this month.
Newsom, a staunch Joe Biden defender, said he “took [the president] at his word” after the outgoing Democratic chief executive said for months that he would not involve himself in his son’s prosecution.
Izzy Gardon, Newsom’s director of communications, confirmed Newsom’s statements, which came two days after Biden said he was issuing the pardon due to his political opponents “selectively” and “unfairly” targeting his son.
“It is clear that Hunter was treated differently,” Biden said in a statement Sunday. “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.”
Newsom has been a staunch Biden defender, insisting this summer the president was a solid presidential candidate even as others in the Democratic Party were questioning whether he should stay in the race.
U.S. Rep. Ami Bera, a Sacramento Democrat, told Fox News on Sunday that the pardon “set a bad precedent” for Democrats in light of fears that incoming President Donald Trump would use the office to pardon his supporters.
“I think it will become really hard for us if, let’s say, president-elect Trump decides to pardon the January 6 folks,” Bera said, referring to people convicted on charges related to the 2021 Capitol insurrection.
“Now, what do we say? I mean, it becomes really hard because folks will say, well, President Biden did the same exact thing,” Bera said.
“So, again, I think it just becomes a really difficult precedent for us to defend.”
David Lightman of the Bee’s Washington Bureau contributed
This story was originally published December 3, 2024 at 4:01 PM.
