‘Travesty’: Joe Biden awards Hillary Clinton, George Soros the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Joe Biden has caused controversy by awarding Hillary Clinton and a billionaire Democrat donor the highest honour in the US at a star-studded White House ceremony.
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US President Joe Biden has bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom on 19 new recipients, including former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and billionaire Democratic donor George Soros, sparking outrage with his controversial picks.
Mr Biden awarded the highest civilian honour to more than a dozen politicians and cultural icons during a ceremony at the White House.
Ms Clinton received a standing ovation from the audience as her husband, former US president Bill Clinton, looked on.
In a speech at the ceremony, Mr Biden called the award recipients “a collection of people, with different backgrounds and beliefs and talents, different generations and different agendas, using their remarkable gifts and unwavering passion to strengthen our resolve as one nation under god indivisible, liberty and justice for all.”
He addressed the group, telling them, “you answered the call to serve and led others to do the same thing, and you defend the values of America even when they’re under attack, because they have been.”
While most of the honorees, such as U2 frontman Bono, basketball legend Magic Johnson, Vogue editor Anna Wintour, fashion mogul Ralph Lauren, beloved actor Michael J. Fox and soccer star Lionel Messi were uncontroversial, Ms Clinton and Mr Soros proved to be a sore spot.
Mr Soros has spent decades financing far left causes, which critics say have led to disastrous social consequences, while Ms Clinton drew controversy during her time as US Secretary of State.
She was blasted for her handling of the war in Libya and the 2012 attack on US government facilities in Benghazi in which four Americans died, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens.
Ms Clinton was also at the centre of a lengthy email scandal after using a private email server for government business.
“Hillary Clinton abandoned our Navy SEALs in Libya and George Soros spent millions electing soft-on-crime politicians that let criminals wreak havoc in our major cities,” said Tim Sheehy, Montana’s new Senator.
“Joe Biden’s decision to give Hillary Clinton and George Soros the Presidential Medal of Freedom is a national disgrace.”
On his X account, billionaire and Trump confidant Elon Musk called the decision to award Mr Soros a “travesty”.
Mr Musk shared a video of himself on Joe Rogan’s podcast, where he said he believed that Soros “fundamentally hates humanity.”
“He’s doing things that erode the fabric of civilisation. You know, getting DAs elected who refuse to prosecute crime,” he said in the clip.
Republican Senator Josh Hawley told the New York Post that Mr Biden’s picks were a disgrace.
“Joe Biden is spending his final days in office asking ‘how can I disgrace myself even more?’ And this is just the latest example,” he said.
“Hillary Clinton should have been prosecuted, not celebrated with the nation’s highest civilian honour,” he told The Post.
Ray Kelly, a former NYPD commissioner told The Post he could not “think of anyone who has done more to undermine the rule of law in this country than George Soros.”
Among those in the audience was Mr Biden’s son Hunter, who was recently pardoned by his father after pleading guilty to felony tax evasion in September.
Also honoured posthumously was Ashton Carter, who was secretary of defence during the Obama administration and George Romney, the governor of Michigan during the 1960s and the father of former Senator Mitt Romney.
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