Alabama politicians quickly took to social media Sunday night to criticize President Joe Biden for pardoning his son, Hunter, after previously promising not to.
The president announced on Sunday that he would clear years of legal issues, including a federal conviction for unlawfully purchasing a pistol and tax cheating.
Biden announced in June that he would not pardon or commute his son’s sentence on federal firearms charges.
“I said I’d abide by the jury decision,” he said. “I will do that.”
“President Biden said he would not pardon his son. But I think we all knew he ultimately would. And we were right,” Rep. Robert Aderholt, who represents parts of North Alabama, wrote on X.
Rep. Dale Strong posted, “It’s no surprise Biden would pardon his son Hunter. The Biden family, the Democrat Party, and the deep state have never gone by the same rules as the rest of America. Once again, Biden’s repeated promises not to pardon his son were just more lies to the American people,” in response to the younger Biden’s pardon.
Rep. Gary Palmer, a member of the House Oversight Committee, revived the allegations of the Bidens’ involvement in corruption in Ukraine, leading the push to impeach the president.
“Unlike the Democrats’ baseless pursuit against President Trump, our investigation into Hunter Biden was not politically motivated. This sweeping pardon proves there is something to hide,” he wrote.
Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth also weighed in.
“Biden promised he wouldn’t pardon his son, Hunter, for tax evasion and gun crimes related to his crack cocaine addiction, but just did it. He sics his DOJ on Trump with bogus lawfare but shields Hunter from facing his crimes. It’s time to send Ol’ Joe packing and drain the Swamp,” he wrote.
In a statement, Joe Biden wrote that “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.”
Hunter issued his own statement.
“I have admitted and taken responsibility for my mistakes during the darkest days of my addiction — mistakes that have been exploited to publicly humiliate and shame me and my family for political sport,” he said. “I will never take the clemency I have been given today for granted and will devote the life I have rebuilt to helping those who are still sick and suffering.”