Democrat Changes Stance After Biden Pardons Hunter

Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) faced a tough grilling from CNN’s Brianna Keilar on Monday after President Joe Biden issued a sweeping pardon for his son, Hunter Biden. The pardon, which covers every crime Hunter has been convicted of and any additional crimes he may have committed over the last 11 years, directly contradicted Goldman’s previous statements that such a move would never happen.

During the segment on News Central, Keilar played a clip of Goldman from 2023, after Hunter’s plea deal with federal prosecutors collapsed. In the clip, Goldman dismissed the possibility of a presidential pardon, claiming it would be a “mistake.”

“Yes,” Goldman said at the time when asked if a pardon would be wrong. “And I don’t think there’s any chance that President Biden is going to do that, unlike his predecessor, who pardoned all of his friends and anyone who had any access to him.”

Goldman pointed to Biden’s decision to keep Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney David Weiss on the case as proof of the Justice Department’s independence.

Keilar pressed Goldman on his apparent reversal, asking how it felt to watch himself reassure the public that Biden wouldn’t pardon his son. Goldman tried to explain away the discrepancy, suggesting that the pardon wouldn’t have been necessary had the plea deal succeeded.

“If that plea agreement and that plea deal had gone through, there would be no pardon,” he claimed.

Keilar wasn’t convinced. She reminded Goldman that his earlier comments were made after the plea deal collapsed, noting his past confidence in Biden’s integrity.

Goldman avoided addressing the president’s reversal directly, instead deflecting blame toward Republicans. He accused the GOP of targeting Hunter Biden for political gain and claimed their efforts forced the president to act.

Goldman characterized Biden’s decision as a necessary response to what he called a “miscarriage of justice.” He argued that Hunter Biden was at risk of being unfairly prosecuted for political reasons and suggested Biden’s actions were meant to preserve the rule of law.

> “When you start to see what Donald Trump is planning to do with his Department of Justice and with his FBI, and the degree to which Hunter Biden has already been shamelessly attacked as a private citizen by Republicans, I certainly understand why the president felt like this miscarriage of justice should not carry forward,” Goldman said.

Biden’s pardon of Hunter has reignited criticism from both sides of the aisle, with many pointing to the hypocrisy of Democrats who previously condemned Trump’s use of the pardon power. Goldman’s inability to reconcile his past statements with Biden’s recent actions has only added fuel to the fire.

The sweeping nature of the pardon, which includes unspecified future crimes Hunter may have committed, has drawn particular ire, with critics accusing Biden of undermining accountability and eroding trust in the rule of law.

As the controversy unfolds, it’s clear that Biden’s decision has left his allies scrambling to defend what many see as a blatant abuse of power.

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