Biden advisor criticizes Hunter pardon rationale as an attack on judicial system.

On Wednesday, Anita Dunn, a longtime Biden confidante and former senior adviser, criticized the president's handling of his son Hunter's pardon. She disagreed with the "timing" and the "rationale" and described it as an "attack on our judicial system."

If the pardon had been granted at the end of the term with compassion, as many pardons and commutations are likely to be done, it would have been a different story, according to Dunn, who spoke at the DealBook Summit 2024.

"I agree with the president's decision, but I disagree with the way it was done, the timing, and the attack on our judicial system."

Dunn defended the president's right to change his mind, stating that his statement should be taken at face value.

The timing of the Kash Patel weekend, which occurred during the president-elect's nominee rollout, was considered poor from a Democratic Party perspective. The argument is that the president, who ran on restoring the rule of law and has upheld it, should not suggest that it may not be applicable in certain situations.

Dunn, who served as a political strategist and adviser to Biden on his 2020 campaign and a senior adviser in the Biden White House until leaving for the Harris campaign this summer, reiterated that she agrees with the pardon but disagrees with the "timing," the "argument," and the "rationale."

The White House did not respond to Planet Chronicle Digital's inquiry.

Dunn stated that she was never involved in any discussions at the White House regarding pardoning Hunter, except for what to communicate to the media, which she claims was a brief response: "No."

Recent polling indicates that only 20% of Americans approve of Biden's decision to pardon Hunter after previously promising not to give his son a break.

Immediate reaction on social media was elicited by Dunn's comments, with former Jill Biden press secretary Michael LaRose posting on X, "Yikes."

Earlier this month, President Biden argued that his son Hunter had been unjustly prosecuted when he granted him a pardon.

""I pardoned my son Hunter today, despite my pledge not to interfere with the Justice Department's decision-making and my observation of his unfair prosecution," Biden stated."

""Hunter was treated differently than those who were late paying their taxes due to serious addictions, but paid them back with interest and penalties, and were given non-criminal resolutions," Biden stated."

The president mentioned his son's addiction and attributed the breakdown of Hunter's plea deal to "political maneuvering."

"The 82-year-old father wrote that there has been an effort to break Hunter, who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me, and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough."