Sen Jon Tester has 5 weeks left in his term
Democratic lawmaker criticizes Hunter Biden pardon, says 'there's something higher at stake'
Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton said Tuesday that while he understands President Biden's instinct to pardon Hunter as a father, there was more at "stake" with the Department of Justice.
Sen. Jon Tester is getting testy with reporters during his remaining weeks in Congress after being booted from his long-held Montana Senate seat.
President Biden pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, on Sunday, absolving him of any charges for crimes he "committed or may have committed" between January 2014 and December 2024.
On Monday, Tester was asked about Biden's controversial move to pardon his son, to which the senator offered a rather blunt response.
"I’m one month from getting the f--- out of here," he said with a smile, according to CNN and other outlets. "Ask somebody who counts."
NAVY SEAL TIM SHEEHY OUSTS 3-TERM SEN. JON TESTER IN MONTANA SENATE RACE
Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., arrives for the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense hearing on the "Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request for the National Guard and Reserves," in the Dirksen Building on Tuesday, June 18, 2024. (Tom Williams)
The comment comes nearly one month after the three-term Montana Democrat was ousted by Republican Navy SEAL Sen.-elect Tim Sheehy in one of the most closely watched races of the 2024 cycle.
While Tester did not answer the question, Democrats on Capitol Hill have been speaking out against Biden's decision to relieve his son from facing any potential federal charges over the course of the past decade.
Republican Senator-elect Tim Sheehy bested Tester in the November election. (Tim Sheehy For Montana)
"President Biden’s decision to pardon his son was wrong. A president's family and allies shouldn't get special treatment. 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. Gary Peters, D-Mich, wrote in a post on X.
Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., also said that Biden's decision "further erodes Americans’ faith that the justice system is fair and equal for all."
Efforts to reach Tester's office for comment at press time were unsuccessful.
Aubrie Spady is a Writer for Fox News Digital.
