On Tuesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) said that “As a father, I can understand” President Joe Biden’s “reasoning, given this change in circumstances” for pardoning his son, Hunter and argued that Biden went back on his prior vows that he would not pardon his son due to some of the nominations that President-Elect Donald Trump put forward, and “I am concerned about what’s going to happen to the scope of the pardon power going forward.”
Coons said that he thinks the nominations of Kash Patel and Matt Gaetz and the lack of stringent opposition to the Patel nomination caused the President to believe that the Trump administration would go after his political opponents, which caused Biden to go back on his previous statements that he wouldn’t pardon his son and that Biden also was influenced by the prospect of Hunter going to prison and “As a father, I can understand his reasoning, given this change in circumstances.”
He added, “I am concerned about what’s going to happen to the scope of the pardon power going forward. And I do think, given what’s happening right now, today, in South Korea, we, as a Senate, need to look hard at our constitutional role as the advise and consent body.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.