Supporters of President-elect Donald Trump are calling for pardons for individuals convicted in connection with the violent January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, citing President Joe Biden’s recent decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden.
Newsweek reported that Biden’s decision on Sunday reversed his earlier public pledge not to intervene and spared Hunter from a potential prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions.
“The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election,” Biden said in a statement released on Sunday evening. “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.
“I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice. I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.”
Trump supporters have taken to social media, urging him to use his presidential powers to pardon individuals convicted of federal crimes related to the Capitol riot once he returns to the White House in January. These convictions range from misdemeanor offenses, such as trespassing, to felonies, including assaulting police officers and seditious conspiracy.
“Trump should pardon every single January 6th defendant on his first day in office. All of them,” Clay Travis wrote on the X platform.
Benny Johnson added: “Joe Biden just pardoned his son, Hunter. Raise your hand if you think Donald Trump should issue a full pardon to all peaceful January 6th protesters who have had their Constitutional rights violated by the Biden administration on DAY ONE.”
Trump also responded to the pardon.
“Does the Pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years?” Trump wrote. “Such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!”
Hunter Biden has been under investigation by at least two House committees for nearly two years. House Republicans have said they discovered alleged illegal activities that also involved the president dating back several years to their early involvement in Ukraine during the Obama regime.
A Trump spokesperson on Sunday said Trump would overhaul the “Democrat-controlled” Department of Justice.
“The failed witch hunts against President Trump have proven that the Democrat-controlled DOJ and other radical prosecutors are guilty of weaponizing the justice system,” Steven Cheung said in a statement to Newsweek.
“That system of justice must be fixed and due process must be restored for all Americans, which is exactly what President Trump will do as he returns to the White House with an overwhelming mandate from the American people.”
Trump previously pledged to offer pardons to those charged or convicted in connection to the riot.
“I am inclined to pardon many of them. I can’t say for every single one because a couple of them, probably, they got out of control,” he said at a CNN town hall in May 2023.
President Biden had previously stated he would not pardon his son or commute his sentence following convictions in two cases in Delaware and California. However, his decision to pardon Hunter comes just weeks before the first son was set to face sentencing for his trial conviction on gun charges and guilty plea on tax violations, and less than two months before President-elect Donald Trump is set to take office.
The pardon marks the culmination of a lengthy legal saga for Hunter, who publicly revealed in December 2020—shortly after his father’s presidential victory—that he was under federal investigation.
The pardon adds another controversial chapter to President Biden’s legacy, Newsweek noted.
