Johnson rips Hunter Biden pardon, saying trust in justice system damaged

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Monday slammed President Biden for his decision to pardon his son Hunter, calling the move an abuse of the justice system.  

“President Biden insisted many times he would never pardon his own son for his serious crimes,” Johnson posted on X on Monday morning. “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 irreparably damaged by the Bidens and their use and abuse of it.” 

“Real reform cannot begin soon enough!” he added.  

Biden had repeatedly said he would not pardon his son, who pleaded guilty to nine federal tax charges and was found guilty of three felony gun charges. But on Sunday night he issued a “full and unconditional pardon” for his son, Hunter Biden, 54, who was set to face sentencing Wednesday. 

Johnson joins a plethora of lawmakers reacting to the pardon, including Reps. James Comer (R-Ky.), Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.). 

“You’ve been lied to every step of the way by this Administration and the corrupt Biden family,” Scalise wrote on X. “This is just the latest in their long coverup scheme. They never play by the same rules they force on everyone else. Disgraceful.”

Hunter Biden was found guilty in June in a federal case on three felony charges over his purchase and possession of a gun in 2018, violating the law by concealing drug use. He pleaded guilty in September to nine federal tax charges, avoiding a trial.

“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,” Biden said in a statement Sunday.

“There has been an effort to break Hunter — who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution,” he added. “In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me — and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough.”