Some senior Democrats are reportedly so disappointed with President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, that they are threatening to withhold funding for Biden’s presidential library.
The controversial decision, in tandem with Biden’s move to drop out of the 2024 presidential election less than four months before Election Day, has left a sour taste in donor’s mouths, according to a recent Axios report.
As a result, Biden could be facing a financial obstacle in trying to build his presidential library – a historical tradition for presidents once they leave office.
"If they had their s*** together, they would have been doing the work on this over the summer — right after he announced he was stepping aside," an unnamed Democrat told the news outlet. "Now, it’s just too late. Hopefully, they are rightsizing their expectations and budget."
A person familiar with Biden’s post-president planning told The Independent, “that sentiment hasn’t come up in a single donor conversation” and that “work is well underway.”
Presidential libraries are a nationwide network of libraries, maintained by the National Archives, that include records and historical collections representing a president’s time in office.
They are typically funded by private donors and non-profit organizations.
Biden’s decision to pardon his son, who was convicted on three federal gun-related charges and nine federal tax-related charges this year, led to intense backlash from Democrats and Republicans. For months, Biden had promised to not pardon his son but then suddenly reversed course.
Democrats like Senator-elect Adam Schiff, Governor Jared Polis, Senator Michael Bennet and Representative Greg Stanton all issued statements expressing disapproval of the pardon, believing it sets a bad precedent.
One snap poll from YouGov found that more than half of U.S. adults disapproved of Biden’s decision.
For some, the pardon is the nail in the coffin after a year of frustrations with the president. His poor debate performance, initial refusal to drop out of the election and palpable retreat from the public eye has ultimately left relationships frayed.
In contrast, other Democrats supported Biden’s pardoning of Hunter. Overall, approximately 64 percent of Democrats approved of the decision, according to the YouGov poll.
Former president Bill Clinton, Representatives James Cylburn, Hakeem Jeffries, Eric Swalwell and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi all voiced support for the president’s decision.
In response to the report, a spokesperson for the White House touted Biden’s legacy in lowering drug costs, fighting climate change, leading the U.S. out of the pandemic, creating and passing the largest infrastructure package in 70 years, and taking on gun reform.
“President Biden continues to deliver historic progress every day, and his legacy will benefit the American people for generations,” the spokesperson said.
