{"id":2375589,"date":"2024-12-02T16:31:02","date_gmt":"2024-12-02T21:31:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/liberal-democrats-say-president-pardons-belong-with-more-deserving-inmates-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-12-02T16:33:37","modified_gmt":"2024-12-02T21:33:37","slug":"liberal-democrats-say-president-pardons-belong-with-more-deserving-inmates-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/liberal-democrats-say-president-pardons-belong-with-more-deserving-inmates-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Liberal Democrats say president pardons belong with more deserving inmates &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fliberal-democrats-say-president-pardons-belong-with-more-deserving-inmates-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2375589&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Progressive Democrats are expressing frustration over President joe Biden&#8217;s\u2064 recent decision to pardon his \u2063son, Hunter Biden, who faced convictions \u200bfor \u200ctax \u2063and gun felonies. this decision marks \u200da significant shift from the\u2064 president&#8217;s earlier\u2062 stance\u200c of not granting such pardons. Many progressives feel \u200dthat Biden should prioritize pardoning individuals \u200csuffering from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/joe-biden-kicks-off-so-called-progressive-package-with-decades-old-policies\/\" title=\"Joe Biden kicks off so-called progressive package with decades-old policies\">mass incarceration<\/a>, particularly those imprisoned for \u200bdrug offenses. Representatives like rashida Tlaib and Summer Lee argue that while Hunter Biden&#8217;s treatment was unfair, thousands of others, especially\u2063 people\u2062 of color, deserve \u2063similar attention. In late November, over 60 Democratic lawmakers, including Ayanna Pressley, Jim Clyburn, and Mary Gay Scanlon, urged the president to use his clemency powers before \u2064his term ends to address sentencing disparities impacting various groups. Despite the \u2064backlash, some progressives\u200c reportedly show indifference toward the Hunter biden pardon, viewing it as part of an established political trend.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Progressives fume that president should use pardons to end mass incarceration, not bailout son<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1900965\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/progressives\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Progressive<\/a> Democrats are criticizing President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Joe Biden<\/a>&lsquo;s decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, instead of those they say are suffering from mass incarceration after months of pleas to the president before he leaves office.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>On Sunday, the president announced he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3246641\/joe-biden-pardons-son-hunter-of-all-criminal-charges\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">signed a pardon<\/a> for the first son, who was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3036924\/hunter-biden-guilty-of-three-gun-felonies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">convicted<\/a> of tax and gun felonies this year. This was a sharp reversal of the president&rsquo;s previous position that he would not do so, with his decision receiving <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/jaredpolis\/status\/1863392145669046677?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">admonishments<\/a> from Democrats and outrage from Republicans.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), a vocal critic of the president over the Israel-Hamas war, shared a post on X that called on him to pardon tens of thousands of people in federal prison for drug offenses.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This,&rdquo; Tlaib <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RashidaTlaib\/status\/1863411518353596552\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">said<\/a>, with the post asking, &ldquo;When are their pardons coming?&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA), who joined over 60 Democratic lawmakers calling on the president to grant blanket clemency to thousands incarcerated in federal prison in late November, said Tuesday that she agreed Hunter Biden faced &ldquo;harsh sentencing and unfair treatment.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;But so do thousands of others, disproportionately black folks,&rdquo; Lee <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepSummerLee\/status\/1863652221969371210\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">said<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Led by Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Jim Clyburn (D-SC), and Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), the Democrats sent a letter to the president asking him for pardons for the elderly, chronically ill, those on death row, and others to be completed before Jan. 20, 2025.<\/p>\n<p>The president has granted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/pardon\/clemency-statistics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">25 pardons and 132 commutations<\/a> out of the thousands of applications the administration has received since 2021.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Now is the time to use your clemency authority to rectify unjust and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">unnecessary criminal laws passed<\/a> by Congress and draconian sentences given by judges,&rdquo; the lawmakers wrote in November.<\/p>\n<p>Prior to the president&rsquo;s pardon of his son, Pressley <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepPressley\/status\/1861787075768414369\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">posted<\/a> that mass incarceration is &ldquo;a crisis and clemency is part of the solution.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>However, popular progressives such as Pressley and Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Mark Pocan (D-WI) have not publicly commented on the Hunter Biden pardon, with a Hill aide telling the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that not many progressives are too bothered by the actual pardon itself.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a collective shrug among Hill progressives,&rdquo; the aide said. &ldquo;Trump did this, Biden&rsquo;s following the trend.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In his first administration, President-elect Donald Trump granted 144 pardons and 94 commutations. Trump pardoned Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and multiple allies convicted in special counsel Robert Mueller&rsquo;s Russia investigation.<\/p>\n<p>Some Democrats are in favor of the president&rsquo;s decision, accusing the investigation into Hunter Biden as politically motivated. The president, in his pardon announcement, said his son was &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/comer-blasts-joe-bidens-pardon-of-son-hunter-as-avoiding-accountability-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Comer blasts Joe Biden\u2019s pardon of son Hunter as avoiding \u2018accountability\u2019 - Washington Examiner\">treated differently&#038;rdquo<\/a>; and that &ldquo;raw politics has infected this process, and it led to a miscarriage of justice.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>One House Democrat told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, &ldquo;Personally, I don&rsquo;t like the pardon system, but I understand it&rsquo;s part of the constitution.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>However, the lawmaker said, &ldquo;If a president is going to issue a pardon, then this is a good one.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Hunter Biden was a target for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pelosi-admits-she-sent-millions-into-poverty-by-holding-up-covid-relief-for-political-reasons-says-she-is-now-willing-to-do-smaller-covid-deal-with-biden-video\/\" title=\"Pelosi Admits She Sent Millions Into Poverty by Holding Up Covid Relief For Political Reasons - Says She is Now Willing to do Smaller Covid Deal with Biden (VIDEO)\">political reasons<\/a>, so being pardoned through a political tool seems appropriate,&rdquo; the House Democrat said.<\/p>\n<p>Several other congressional Democrats and state leaders have leaped into the fray to criticize the president. Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AndrewSolender\/status\/1863648811375071736\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">called<\/a> the move &ldquo;understandable&rdquo; but &ldquo;unwise.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) said the president should have used his pardon power elsewhere.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Presidents have the right to pardon who they want, but I fundamentally believe pardons should be used to right the wrongs of the past &mdash; not for family members or to hand out political favors,&rdquo; Baldwin said in a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/lawrencegandrea\/status\/1863672906519118180?s=46&amp;t=oYTIYwEqmPpaQCOEPM8xZA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), once considered a centrist Democrat whose stances have shifted more liberal with Colorado&rsquo;s electorate over the years, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenatorBennet\/status\/1863623197788160041\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">said<\/a> Tuesday Biden&rsquo;s decision to pardon his son &ldquo;put personal interest ahead of duty&rdquo; and &ldquo;further erodes Americans&rsquo; faith that the justice system is fair and equal for all.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) said, as a father, he understands the president&rsquo;s decision. However, he said in a post to X that he is &ldquo;disappointed&rdquo; the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/president-trump-has-put-his-boat-in-the-water-for-his-trip-to-cross-the-delaware-on-christmas-eve-attorney-lin-wood\/\" title=\"President Trump \u201cHas Put His Boat In the Water For His Trip to Cross the Delaware\u2026 On Christmas Eve\u201d \u2013 Attorney Lin Wood\">president put<\/a> his family &ldquo;ahead of the country.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is a bad precedent that could be abused by later Presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation,&rdquo; Polis said. &ldquo;When you become President, your role is Pater familias of the nation. Hunter brought the legal trouble he faced on himself, and one can sympathize with his struggles while also acknowledging that no one is above the law, not a President and not a President&rsquo;s son.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> reached out to numerous progressive lawmakers for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1900965\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1900965\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Progressives are upset that Biden pardoned his son instead of addressing mass incarceration<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2648,"featured_media":2375590,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/AP24039102437916-scaled-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[36352,46013,46011,46012],"class_list":["post-2375589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-criminal-justice-reform","tag-deserving-inmates","tag-liberal-democrats","tag-president-pardons"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/AP24039102437916-scaled-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2375589","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2648"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2375589"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2375589\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2375594,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2375589\/revisions\/2375594"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2375590"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2375589"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2375589"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2375589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}