Here's What Gavin Newsom Had to Say About Joe Biden Pardoning Hunter

Madeline Leesman | December 05, 2024 11:15 AM

In an interview with POLITICO this week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) indicated that he is “disappointed” that President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, after he stated that he would not do so.

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

According to the outlet, Newsom is now one of the highest-profile members of his party to denounce President Biden’s decision to pardon Hunter (via POLITICO):

It is a painful turn for Newsom, a Democrat who had grown personally close with the president in recent years and had emerged as one of his most vocal defenders.
Newsom met privately with Biden during a lengthy visit to the White House just two weeks ago, where he appealed to the outgoing administration to approve pending federal disaster relief funding and pushed for programs to expand access to healthcare along with various initiatives aimed at improving clean air.
And for more than two years — on the road, in debate spin rooms and on Sunday news shows — Newsom vociferously defended the president’s record, his decision to seek reelection as well as his mental and physical capabilities. Biden, too, had been there for Newsom, headlining a big rally in Southern California as the governor fended off a GOP-led attempt to recall him in 2021.