House Democrat suggests making it illegal for presidents to pardon family members

Virginia Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly on Monday suggested altering the presidential pardoning power in the U.S. Constitution after President Joe Biden pardoned his son Sunday night.

Biden claimed that his son was unfairly targeted and prosecuted, and granted a full pardon for Hunter Biden for all crimes committed between 2014 and 2024. The blanket pardon means the first son cannot be prosecuted or sentenced for his tax charges, his federal gun charge, or any possible crime he committed while on the board of Burisma. 

Connolly, who currently sits on the House Oversight Committee, said he understood the president's decision as a parent, but that presidents should not be allowed to pardon their own family members. 

“As a father myself and as someone who knows Joe Biden I can sympathize with his perspective,” Connolly said on CNN. “Having said that, what other father in America has power to pardon his son or daughter if they’re convicted of a crime?

"I really think we have to revisit the pardon power in the Constitution,” he continued. “At the very least, we’ve got to circumscribe it so that you don’t get to pardon relatives, even if you believe passionately that they’re innocent or their cause is just.” 

Biden is not the only president to use the power for personal connections. President-elect Donald Trump previously pardoned Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, during his first term, Connolly noted. He said that pardon was also an "abuse of power," that should be corrected.

Trump has since appointed Charles Kushner as his ambassador to France.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.