Sen. Joe Manchin has urged President Joe Biden to extend a pardon to President-elect Donald Trump, suggesting it would offer a “more balanced” resolution following Biden’s decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden.
“I am just saying, wipe them out,” the West Virginia independent and former Democrat told CNN on Monday, according to the New York Post. “Why don’t you go ahead and pardon Donald Trump for all his charges? It would have gone down a lot more balanced, if you will.”
Biden defended his sweeping pardon of Hunter Biden—which covers potential offenses from Jan. 1, 2014, through Dec. 2, 2024—claiming his son was “selectively, and unfairly prosecuted.” Earlier this year, Hunter pleaded guilty to federal tax crimes and was convicted on federal gun charges.
Trump has similarly argued that the charges against him are politically motivated. The former president faced federal charges for mishandling classified documents and election interference, along with state charges for interfering in Georgia’s 2020 election and falsifying business records. However, special counsel Jack Smith has since dropped the federal cases.
Manchin suggested a clean slate for Trump would allow him to focus on governance. “The president has to be the president for the next four years, fighting all these criminal [cases] and all this other stuff coming after him,” Manchin said. “Just clean that slate up.”
He also acknowledged that Biden’s decision to pardon Hunter has complicated his legacy, especially after the White House repeatedly assured the public for two years that Hunter would not be pardoned.
Several of Manchin’s Senate colleagues, including Democrats, have criticized the Hunter Biden pardon.
“A president’s family and allies shouldn’t get special treatment,” Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) wrote on X. “This was an improper use of power, it erodes trust in our government, and it emboldens others to bend justice to suit their interests.”
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) echoed the sentiment, writing that Biden’s decision “put personal interest ahead of duty and further erodes Americans’ faith that the justice system is fair and equal for all.”
Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) called the pardon “unwise,” even though he said it was “understandable” as “the action of a loving father.”
Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) warned the pardon would backfire against Democrats during Trump’s presidency. “I know there was a strong sentiment in wanting to protect Hunter Biden from unfair prosecution, but this is going to be used against us when we’re fighting the misuses that are coming from the Trump administration,” he told CNN.
Rep. Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.) also rejected claims of political targeting, emphasizing, “The president’s son committed felonies and was convicted by a jury of his peers.”
