U.S. Senator Gary Peters, a Michigan Democrat, criticized President Joe Biden on Monday afternoon for pardoning his son, Hunter Biden, after previously saying he would not do so.
“President Biden’s decision to pardon his son was wrong,” Peters, who was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014 and has been a steadfast ally of Biden, said in a post on social media platform A president’s family and allies should not receive special treatment.”
“This was an improper use of power, it undermines confidence in our government and it encourages others to adapt justice to their interests,” Peters continued.
Hunter Biden has been the focus of Republican investigations in Congress since Joe Biden took office in 2021; Hunter Biden was convicted earlier this year on federal drug and weapons charges.
On Sunday evening, Biden announced his decision to pardon his son, saying he had been “selectively and unfairly prosecuted” and that few cases like his ever go to trial. He also noted that Hunter Biden, who struggled with addiction, paid his back taxes with interest and penalties.
A previous plea deal that would have resolved the cases against the president’s son fell apart last year. However, Biden’s pardon did not just cover Hunter Biden’s convictions; it extended to all possible federal crimes he may have committed between 2014 and the end of this year.
It comes less than a month after Republican former President Donald Trump – who was critical of Hunter Biden’s activities and business deals – was re-elected, with Joe Biden set to leave office on January 20, 2025. Trump has also been criticized for his own pardons of political allies during his first term.
“No reasonable person looking at the facts of Hunter’s cases could come to any conclusion other than that Hunter was singled out only because he is my son — and that is wrong,” Biden said in a statement Sunday. “An attempt has been made to break Hunter – who has been sober for five and a half years, even in the face of persistent assaults and selective prosecution. In their attempt to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me – – and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here.
Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@tsspangler
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Senator Peters criticizes Biden’s pardon of son
