Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., admitted on Tuesday night that he was one of the people that urged President Biden to pardon his son Hunter Biden.
During an appearance on CNN’s “Laura Coates Live,” the prominent Democratic lawmaker told host Laura Coates he supports the pardon despite many in the party criticizing the president for it, saying Biden’s son is a political target and needs protection.
“I am absolutely okay with it. I don’t know how many people urged him to do so, but I did,” Clyburn declared on the program.
The president announced on Sunday that he had pardoned his son, a move that covers any and all possible crimes that Hunter Biden committed between January 1, 2014 and December 1, 2024.
LAWMAKERS HARSHLY CRITICIZE BIDEN’S DECISION TO PARDON HUNTER
Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C. told CNN on Tuesday that he had urged President Biden to pardon Hunter Biden. (Screenshot/CNN)
In his statement, Biden accused the Department of Justice of targeting his son, stating, “From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted.”
Biden’s move was criticized by many liberals, with some Democratic figures saying it harms the U.S. justice system. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., said, “President Biden’s decision put personal interest ahead of duty and further erodes Americans’ faith that the justice system is fair and equal for all.”
The Washington Post editorial board also slammed the move this week, arguing that it gives “cover” to President-elect Donald Trump’s long-held beliefs that the DOJ has been weaponized against him.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., took Biden to task as well, saying that he went back on his word.
“With everything the president and his family have been through, I completely understand the instinct to protect Hunter,” Newsom told Politico on Tuesday, adding, “But I took the president at his word. So by definition, I’m disappointed and can’t support the decision.”
Clyburn made his points in direct response to Newsom’s words, telling Coates that he pushed Biden to pardon his son “because I know he was targeted.”
“We all know that, but for the fact that he was Joe Biden‘s son, he would never have been taken through these gyrations,” Clyburn said, speaking for himself and other Democratic figures.
HUNTER BIDEN SAYS HIS MISTAKES WERE ‘EXPLOITED’ FOR POLITICAL SPORT, HE WILL NEVER TAKE PARDON FOR GRANTED
The president announced on Sunday that he had pardoned his son, a move that covers any and all possible crimes that Hunter Biden committed between 2014 and December 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
The congressman added that he gave this advice to Biden two weeks ago and disclosed that the president needed some convincing.
When Coates asked him what Biden’s reaction was, Clyburn replied, “He seemed to be a bit reticent about it, but I emphasized the fact that we as fathers have obligations to our children.”
Clyburn then suggested that Biden’s son was being treated unfairly and that’s why he made the recommendation. “If Hunter had gone through a process like everybody else had gone through, I would not have this feeling. But when you get prosecuted because you did not fill out a form to get a gun that you never used – that was even taken away and thrown away – and then you get prosecuted for it to make it felonious. That, to me, is a problem.”
Elsewhere, he added, “And so Joe Biden needed to do, on his way out of office, what he could to protect his son.”
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In another part of the interview, the lawmaker also mentioned that he had a list of individuals he would like Biden to preemptively pardon so that the Trump DOJ can’t go after them once in power.
“Jack Smith’s name is on my list. Liz Cheney’s name is on my list. I think that they all should be preemptively pardoned because I think there are people who Trump may bring into this government who will go after these people in a serious way, and there’s no need to subject them to that.”
Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
