Axelrod says Hunter Biden pardon 'handled poorly'

Democratic strategist David Axelrod was critical of the way President Biden handled the pardoning of his son, Hunter Biden, saying it was done "poorly."

"It was just handled poorly on top of everything," Axelrod told CNN's Anderson Cooper in an interview Monday.

His comments came less than a day after Biden announced Sunday that he would pardon his son's three felony charges — including unlawful purchase and possession of a gun in 2018. The decision has rattled political figures on both sides of the aisle and left many Republicans furious, as the president has consistently vowed that he would stay out of his son's legal matters.

Axelrod suggested that Biden's decision to pardon his son was "defensive," in preparation for President-elect Trump's return to the White House.

"I think part of it was defensive, worried about what they may do after he leaves office," Axelrod said.

At the same time, the strategist was sympathetic to Biden's decision.

"Everybody in America knows how much loss the Bidens have suffered I think that factors in here. He lost two children. He didn‘t want to lose one more. So I have sympathy for him," Axelrod said.

He was referencing Biden's baby daughter, Naomi Biden, who was killed in a car crash that also killed Biden's first wife, Neilia Biden, in 1972. His oldest son, Beau Biden, died in 2015 from brain cancer believed to be caused by exposure to toxic chemicals during his service in the Iraq War. 

Though, Axelrod questioned how the public would view the act, referencing a specific part of Biden's statement, where he suggested that he made the decision not only as a president, but as father, as well.

"But he said I hope the American people will understand that my act as a father and a president, I think people will understand his act as a father but not as a president," Axelrod said.

Hunter Biden, 54, was set to face sentencing in his federal gun case on Dec. 12 and in his tax case on Dec. 16.

Attorneys for Biden filed a notice of pardon in both of his cases Sunday night, asking the judge to dismiss the indictment with prejudice. Special counsel David Weiss, however, rejected suggestions that he selectively prosecuted the younger Biden in court filings, where he also objected to dismissing charges.