CA Democrats criticize Biden's decision to pardon his son, but only because it sets a precedent for Trump

LOS ANGELES, CA - California Democrats have come out in opposition to Joe Biden’s pardon of his son, but not for the reasons one might expect. On second thought, their reasons were precisely for the reasons you would think. 

After Biden reversed course on numerous promises not to pardon Hunter Biden for the crimes he’s already been convicted of and a likely myriad of crimes for which he has yet to be charged, Democrats nationwide have been questioned about the about-face and what implications it may have. 

NBC Los Angeles reached out to several elected officials in the Golden State to ask their thoughts on the pardon. While most dodged the question, a few high-profile Democrats at least had the intestinal fortitude to answer, even though their responses are about what you’d expect. 

Now former Rep. Adam Schiff (C-Calif.), who is set to be sworn in next week to the United States Senate, called Biden’s decision “ill-considered,” if only because he believes it will set a “precedent [that] will almost certainly be abused by his successor, and he committed to not pardoning his son. He should have kept that,” Schiff said. BIden’s successor is, of course, President-elect Donald Trump, whom Schiff has been obsessed with since Trump was first elected in 2016. 

In 2018, Schiff introduced legislation granting Congress access to information on any presidential pardon, saying lawmakers should know if the president is issuing a pardon to obstruct justice. At that time, Schiff and other Democrats were bloviating over concerns that then-President Trump would pardon family members and associates even though none had yet been charged. 

While California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a fellow Democrat, called Biden’s decision “disappointing,” he said it was nonetheless understandable. 

“With everything the president and his family have been through, I completely understand the instinct to protect Hunter,” Newsom told Politico. “But I took the President at his word. I’m disappointed and can’t support the decision.” 

It is unknown what Newsom was referring to concerning what “the president and his family have been through.” Still, whatever it is, it likely pales in comparison to what Trump, his family, and associates have been through. 

Meanwhile, Sen Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), also deflected on Biden’s lies about pardoning Hunter, again blaming Trump for basically forcing Biden’s hand because of what he “might” do in his administration, despite Trump saying that he wants to move beyond the political divide that has been part and parcel of Biden’s administration. 

“I’m not sure if I would have announced what he did, but remember, the reason we are talking about pardons is because of what we can expect in the next administration. He’s already signaled it,” Padilla said.