The president and his 2020 running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris, ran on a platform promising to put their country over their party, as a contrast to President-elect Donald Trump. But Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) said Sunday that the president’s decision to go back on his word was a prime example of putting his family over the country.

While as a father I certainly understand President @JoeBiden’s natural desire to help his son by pardoning him, I am disappointed that he put his family ahead of the country. This is a bad precedent that could be abused by later Presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation.…

— Jared Polis (@jaredpolis) December 2, 2024

“While as a father I certainly understand President @JoeBiden’s natural desire to help his son by pardoning him, I am disappointed that he put his family ahead of the country,” Polis said in a post on X. “This is a bad precedent that could be abused by later Presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation.”

“When you become President, your role is Pater familias of the nation. Hunter brought the legal trouble he faced on himself, and one can sympathize with his struggles while also acknowledging that no one is above the law, not a President and not a President’s son,” the Colorado governor added.

Polis has broken with conventional Democratic Party stances from time to time, including praising Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services and criticizing Joe Biden for imposing tariffs on various products imported from China.

The president’s pardon of any alleged or possible crimes from the beginning of 2014 until Sunday also had a mixed reception from other Democrats.

Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ) said he believed Joe Biden “got this one wrong” by issuing a pardon for the first son.

I respect President Biden, but I think he got this one wrong.

This wasn’t a politically-motivated prosecution. Hunter committed felonies, and was convicted by a jury of his peers. https://t.co/P31d4ILL1P

— Rep. Greg Stanton (@RepGregStanton) December 2, 2024

“I respect President Biden, but I think he got this one wrong. This wasn’t a politically-motivated prosecution. Hunter committed felonies, and was convicted by a jury of his peers,” Stanton said in a post on X.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) also reposted some criticisms of the pardon, which included one saying that “there are so many cases even more deserving than this one” and another claiming that people in federal prison for drug offenses should be considered for pardons.

This. https://t.co/z41NgXeIpG

— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) December 2, 2024

The president’s pardon of his son will absolve him of two cases against him, which were pending sentencing hearings later this month.

Hunter Biden had pleaded guilty to nine tax-related charges and had been found guilty by a jury of three gun-related felonies, including possessing a firearm while addicted to drugs. The two sentencing hearings were scheduled for later this month.

In a statement issued when the president granted the full and unconditional pardon, Joe Biden claimed Hunter Biden was “singled out only because he is my son” and that he was “selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted” for the various crimes.