'Disappointed' Gavin Newsom rips Joe Biden for pardoning son Hunter: 'I took the president at his word'

FAIR OAKS, CALIFORNIA: California Governor Gavin Newsom stated on Tuesday, December 3, that he was "disappointed" with President Joe Biden's pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, on federal gun and tax charges.

While Newson has empathy for the 82-year-old trying to protect his son from likely prison time, he disagreed with the POTUS' decision to backtrack on his initial promise not to grant clemency to Hunter, according to Daily Mail. 

Gavin Newsom says he can't 'support' Joe Biden's decision to pardon Hunter Biden

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

The California politician did not elaborate further and only focused exclusively on the president shattering his trust, per the outlet. It's a sharp turn from Newsom, who has remained in Biden's corner to the bitter end this year. 

With his unequivocal comments, Newsom has become one of the highest-profile Democrats, if not the most prominent voice, to denounce the president’s sweeping action.

Notably, Biden and his aides had repeatedly asserted that he would not pardon Hunter before the about-face.

Newsom met the president during a lengthy visit to the White House two weeks ago. He requested 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, as per Politico.

Joe Biden faces blowback from Democrats for pardoning Hunter Biden

Besides Gavin Newsom, several other Democrats have also been critical of Joe Biden pardoning his son, Hunter Biden.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis became the first Democrat to speak out against the president's move on Sunday. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), he wrote, "While as a father I certainly understand President @JoeBiden’s natural desire to help his son by pardoning him, I am disappointed that he put his family ahead of the country."

He added, "This is a bad precedent that could be abused by later Presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation. When you become President, your role is Pater familias of the nation."

"Hunter brought the legal trouble he faced on himself, and one can sympathize with his struggles while also acknowledging that no one is above the law, not a President and not a President’s son," declared Polis. 

Similarly, Maine Rep Jared Golden called Biden's move an "unfortunate precedent" in a statement to Axios, and Maryland Rep Glenn Ivey told CNN that his views are mixed but the pardon "is going to be used against [Democrats] when we're fighting the misuses that are coming from the Trump administration."

Ohio Rep Greg Landsman said he understands the move but "as someone who wants people to believe in public service again, it’s a setback," per the outlet.

Internet echoes Gavin Newsom's thoughts on Joe Biden's pardon of Hunter Biden

Many people on the internet resonated with Gavin Newsom's thoughts on Joe Biden's pardon of his son, Hunter Biden. 

One wrote, "When the president lies, it's not just a betrayal of his word, it's a betrayal of democracy," and another added, "'Let’s just pretend it never happened'- that about sums up the entire Biden presidency."

"The Biden family will be investigated thoroughly. Everything will come out on their corruption," declared a person, with another saying, "Crime families--like the Biden family--will be crime families."

An individual remarked, "In Biden's defense...c'mon, it's not really him issuing the pardon." 

One more wrote, "Biden just completely ruined his own credibility - and he set the Dem party back fifteen years in doing so. Unbelievably foolish."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.