'Go kick some coal': Joe Manchin pummeled for suggesting Biden should also pardon Trump

03 December 2024

President Joe Biden, who prides himself on being an institutionalist, repeatedly insisted that he would not grant his son, Hunter Biden, a pardon for any of the federal criminal charges he was charged with.

But that was before Donald Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. And with Trump's second presidency only one month and half away, President Biden changed his position and granted his son a full pardon in early December.

The president's move has drawn criticism from both Republicans and fellow Democrats. Centrist Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, now an independent, argued that if the president was going to grant his son a pardon, he should pardon Trump as well for the federal indictments he has faced — an argument that has drawn some scathing reactions on X, formerly Twitter.

Former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann angrily tweeted, "A difficult legacy, @Sen_JoeManchin? Yours is as a Vichy pseudo-Democrat. To hell with you."

Journalist Wajahat Ali posted, "Sail your house boat into the sun, Joe Manchin. Go kick some coal.

CNN's Manu Raju noted that three-term centrist Sen. Jon Tester (D-Montana), who was voted out of office in November, had a "different approach than Manchin."

Raju wrote, "Asked Tester about Biden pardoning his son: 'I'm one month from getting the fuck out of here,' he told me with a smile. 'Ask somebody who counts.'"

Former Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-New York) argued that Manchin was mixing apples and oranges, tweeting, "The usual suspects are clutching their pearls again. Senator Manchin says President Biden should pardon Donald Trump for fairness. But Hunter Biden's crimes would never have been charged were he not the president's son, and voters just pardoned Trump — a career criminal — last month."

The conservative group Republicans Against Trump observed, "Sen. Joe Manchin says that President Biden should've pardoned Donald Trump alongside his son Hunter for 'balance.'"

Democratic activist Pat Fuller wrote, "I have resisted criticism of Joe Manchin for years because he at least voted with Democrats the majority of time. But, his suggestion that Biden pardon Trump is just a bridge too far. It’s reprehensible!"

Another Democratic activist, Ellsworth Green, tweeted, "Manchin Urges Biden to Pardon Trump for 'Balance'??? Ain't that some serious s---??? Manchin has now proven he is being paid by Putin!!!!!! He has been a real pain in the ass to Biden all those years and now he wants something??? For Trump? LOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

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