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California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he is “disappointed” that President Biden repeatedly lied that he would not pardon disgraced son Hunter — becoming one of the most high-profile Democrats to condemn the widely condemned move.
“With everything the president and his family have been through, I completely understand the instinct to protect Hunter,” Newsom told Politico of Biden, 82, who has lost two of his children.
“But I took the president at his word,” Newsom said of the president’s repeated promises not to interfere in his son’s cases.
“So by definition, I’m disappointed and can’t support the decision,” he stated firmly.
The condemnation is particularly telling because Newsom has been one of Biden’s most loyal supporters, remaining committed even after his disastrous debate performance forced Democrats to replace him with Vice President Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket.
Newsom is also one of the most important voices for the Democrats, with many expecting him to run for the White House in 2028.
Biden repeatedly vowed in public not to pardon the 54-year-old first son, who was convicted in September on federal gun charges and on federal tax evasion charges earlier this year.
But late Sunday he issued a sweeping pardon that also clears Hunter of any illegal conduct over the course of the last decade, starting from when he controversially joined the board at Ukrainian energy company Burisma.
The presdident claimed he took the extreme action because he believes Hunter was “selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted” by his own Department of Justice because he is the president’s son, despite repeatedly mocking similar claims of such targeting aimed at President-elect Donald Trump.
Special counsel David Weiss on Monday dismissed President Biden’s claims that Hunter was targeted and argued the judge overseeing Hunter’s case shouldn’t toss the indictment against the first son despite the president’s pardon.
