Some Democrats are castigating their party for its unwillingness to fully break with President Joe Biden after he pardoned his son, the latest intraparty battle after Democrats lost the 2024 presidential race.
In the wake of Biden’s pardon, Democrats overall had no unified message: House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries didn’t criticize Biden but called for more pardons for “unjustly aggressive prosecutions for nonviolent offenses”; others accused Biden of improperly using his power to help his family. California Gov. Gavin Newsom was the most prominent Democrat critical of Biden, saying on Tuesday that he was disappointed and trusted the president when he previously said he wouldn’t pardon his son.
But many — including other potential 2028 hopefuls — remained silent or defended Biden.
Kurt Ehrenberg, a former top Bernie Sanders adviser in New Hampshire, said the pardon was a “big F-you to the Democratic Party that ousted him.”
“He’s got nothing to lose. His friends threw him over the side. He did what was best for him, which is always what Joe Biden does,” he said.
Or as one veteran Democratic strategist put it: “We just spent three weeks talking about how the party will change its compass and tactics and re-orient to a winning strategy — and this is more of the same.”
“It’s problematic, and it’s a feature, not a tick, of the Biden presidency,” added the strategist, granted anonymity to speak candidly. “I think it’s terrible that he did it and that no Democrats are speaking up.”
Some Democrats view Biden’s pardon as particularly galling in part because they defended his decision to run for office again when it was clear most voters didn’t want him to. Then they defended him amid calls for him to drop out. If there ever was an opening for top Democrats to break with Biden, it was in the pardon, which drew bipartisan criticism this week.
“It’s like ‘Thank you Joe,’ it’s like a parting gift,” veteran Democratic strategist Paul Maslin said sarcastically.
“We’re gonna be saddled with this — how long and how hard I don’t know,” he added. “But do you think for a second the Republicans are gonna let this go and not remind us of it for months if not years to come?”
Some members of the party have publicly broken with the president over his decision to pardon Hunter, who had pleaded guilty to federal tax charges and was found guilty for federal gun charges. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren told reporters, “No one is above the law, and that includes presidents, former presidents and family members of the presidents.” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis called the decision “a bad precedent” that “will sadly tarnish his reputation.”
But many top Democrats have steered clear of the issue.
The fact that most potential 2028 candidates are staying quiet, Ehrenberg said, “bodes for more of the same from Democratic candidates for president. I don’t see any shining stars in the field right now.”
Biden put Democrats in a tough spot: By claiming that Hunter Biden’s prosecution was influenced by “raw politics” that ultimately led to a “miscarriage of justice,” Democrats said, he makes it more difficult for members to criticize Trump for attempting to undermine the Justice Department.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended the decision on Monday, reiterating that the president “believes that his son was singled out politically” and that he “does believe in the justice system and the Department of Justice.” A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
And not all Democrats agree that the pardon will be a persistent political thorn for the party.
“I think in two weeks, this issue will be completely gone,” said Jeff Weaver, a former campaign manager for Sanders’ 2016 presidential bid who more recently worked on Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips’ long-shot primary challenge against Biden. “It might not be two weeks. Maybe I’m giving it too many legs.”
Mike Ceraso, an alum of Sanders’ and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s campaigns, said he doubted it would matter to the average voter as much as “insiders would believe it to be” — and even predicted it could help Democrats open up a frank conversation about addiction, incarceration and mental health.
And Mark Longabaugh, another Sanders alum, said he wouldn’t advise candidates thinking about the 2028 primary to take the opportunity to use the pardon to attack the president.
“The establishment of the party can’t, on one hand, back this guy and prop this guy up at moments when it was clear they shouldn’t have and then turn around and jump on him as he’s going out the door after a massive defeat because he pardoned his son,” he said.
