Democratic congressmen have sharply criticized outgoing US President Joe Biden's decision to pardon his son Hunter, who was convicted of tax fraud and gun-related charges.

Biden signed an executive order pardoning his son Hunter on Sunday, citing his belief in the unfairness of the trial. President-elect Donald Trump blasted the pardon as an "abuse and miscarriage of justice." Biden had stated several times that he would never pardon his son for his offenses.

Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado announced his opposition on social media platform X, saying the decision puts "personal interest ahead of duty and further erodes Americans' faith that the justice system is fair and equal for all."

Arizona congressman Greg Stanton said he respects the president but opposes the measure, saying Biden "got this one wrong. This wasn’t a politically-motivated prosecution. Hunter committed felonies, and was convicted by a jury of his peers."

Greg Landsman of Ohio also called the ruling a setback to public faith in government.

The congressman stated, "As a father, I get it. But as someone who wants people to believe in public service again, it’s a setback."

According to Vermont Sen. Peter Welch, the move was "unwise."

New York Congressman Jamaal Bowman used the action to encourage Biden to grant mercy to others, including death row convicts, telling CNN, "Pardon the 40 people who are on death row right now to get them off of death row, number one."

Hunter Biden is the first child of a sitting US president to face criminal charges, charged with two counts of willful tax evasion, involving unpaid taxes exceeding $100,000 in 2017 and 2018.

Separately, he was charged and found guilty of illegally possessing a Colt pistol in 2018 while using illegal drugs, a violation that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

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Biden killed faith in justice system by pardoning son: Johnson

According to House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday, Biden has done nearly irrevocable harm to faith in the US judicial system by pardoning his son Hunter,

Hunter was being tried for cases related to tax evasion and the purchase of a firearm. However, his father said, "No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter's cases can reach any other collision than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son."

The US president also said that the situation is "a miscarriage of justice."

Hunter was convicted earlier this year of lying about his drug use when he bought a gun, which is a felony, and has also pleaded guilty in a separate tax evasion trial. 

Johnson blasted Biden on X writing how "Trust in our justice system has been almost irreparably damaged by the Bidens and their use and abuse of it," adding that real change "cannot begin soon enough."

President Biden insisted many times he would never pardon his own son for his serious crimes. But last night he suddenly granted a “Full and Unconditional Pardon” for any and all offenses that Hunter committed for more than a decade!

Trust in our justice system has been almost…

— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) December 2, 2024

Biden’s decision to pardon his son amounts to an acknowledgment of his son’s criminal conduct, Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene pointed out on Monday.

"This pardon is Joe Biden’s admission that Hunter is a criminal," Greene wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

She lamented the fact that "Hunter Biden broke gun laws, he broke the FARA Act, and worst of all, he broke the Mann Act by sex trafficking women across the country."

The Republican congresswoman further accused Biden of being "a liar and a hypocrite," saying that while Biden attempted to imprison President-elect Donald Trump’s sons, he has chosen to pardon his own, "even though he’s a convict."

Hunter Biden broke gun laws, he broke the FARA Act, and worst of all, he broke the Mann Act by sex trafficking women across the country.

This pardon is Joe Biden’s admission that Hunter is a criminal.

Biden tried to throw President Trump’s sons in jail, but he lets his son off… pic.twitter.com/QoV3lqfMFe

— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) December 2, 2024