On Monday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki,” Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) stated that President Joe Biden’s pardon of his son, Hunter, is a contradiction of the President’s vow not to pardon his son that he made “for months and months and months” and he’s unsure if he would have done the same thing, “but I do want to make sure that it’s not taking our eyes off the ball. The reason we’re talking about pardons here is because, what we can expect in a second Trump administration, he’s already signaled it.”
Padilla said he was “a little surprised” by the pardon “because of President Biden telling us for months and months and months that he wouldn’t pardon his son. Not sure I would have made the decision that he announced, but I do want to make sure that it’s not taking our eyes off the ball. The reason we’re talking about pardons here is because, what we can expect in a second Trump administration, he’s already signaled it.”
Host Jen Psaki then cut in to say, “January 6, that was his response.”
Padilla responded, “Right. The J6 prisoners…the people who went through the judicial system and were found guilty of the many, many crimes committed at our nation’s Capitol, Jen. Talk about breaking away from norms, the peaceful transfer of power was interrupted for the first time in our nation’s history. That’s why he’s breaking away from so many norms, whether it’s FBI background checks for Cabinet appointments, his consideration or flirtation with recess appointments. We have to restore norms that are put in place to protect the interests of our country, to protect our democracy.”
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