Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), a well-known critic of President Joe Biden, surprised many of his followers on Tuesday by speaking out against Hunter Biden’s conviction on multiple gun-related charges.
“The Hunter Biden gun conviction is kinda dumb tbh,” Gaetz wrote on X. Given Gaetz’s reputation as a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, his criticism of the Biden verdict was unexpected. Many of Gaetz’s followers interpreted the timing of the conviction as a strategic move by President Biden.
“This is the perfect timing for left, what a coincidence!” one follower wrote. “Now they can say there is no two-tiered justice system, avoid Hunter being charged for his more serious crimes leading to his father, and no jail time!”
“It’s all for show…” wrote another.
Some followers suggested the gun conviction was a distraction from more serious alleged crimes. “So many bigger crimes proven on that laptop,” claimed one Gaetz supporter.
However, Gaetz’s unexpected stance drew reactions from both sides of the political spectrum. Some of his liberal critics argued that Gaetz was upset because the verdict undermined the Republican narrative of a biased justice system.
“The imbalance here is that Democrats are pretty firmly against committing financial crimes to manipulate elections, whereas Republicans don’t like impiety towards their death god who must be sated with the blood of children,” commented Twitter user Jack Walsh.
Drexel Heard echoed this sentiment, suggesting that Republicans are downplaying Hunter’s conviction because it disrupts their narrative. “Republicans may/are going to attempt to downplay Hunter’s conviction as ‘dumb’ because they know this has the potential to backfire on them AND because it shatters their ‘unfair judicial system’ narrative,” Heard wrote.
Another critic argued that the right’s defense of Hunter Biden stems from their alignment with a convicted criminal. “The right is now defending Hunter because they have made their bed with a convicted criminal so now all criminals are AkShUaLlY innocent,” stated another Gaetz follower.
Gaetz’s comments have sparked a diverse array of reactions, reflecting the deep political divides and strategic considerations at play in the ongoing discourse surrounding Hunter Biden’s legal issues.