In one of his final actions as President of the United States, Joe Biden has granted pardons to several of his family members.
Before President-elect Donald Trump took office, the White House released a detailed statement on Biden’s behalf.
Today’s pardons (January 20) do not include Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, who had already been pardoned by the President last month.
Hunter faced convictions for three federal firearms-related felony charges in June 2024.
“I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision,” Biden stated regarding his son’s pardon.
A portion of Biden’s new statement released today expressed: “My family has been subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me – the worst kind of partisan politics. Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe these attacks will end.
“I believe in the rule of law, and I am optimistic that the strength of our legal institutions will ultimately prevail over politics. But baseless and politically motivated investigations wreak havoc on the lives, safety, and financial security of targeted individuals and their families.
“Even when individuals have done nothing wrong and will ultimately be exonerated, the mere fact of being investigated or prosecuted can irreparably damage their reputations and finances.”
The individuals named in the pardons include James B. Biden, Sara Jones Biden, Valerie Biden Owens, John T. Owens, and Francis W. Biden.
The pardons cover their ‘nonviolent’ actions dating back to January 1, 2014.
The statement emphasized: “The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that they engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense.”
Besides his family, Biden also granted pardons to American businessman Gerald G. Lundergan and attorney Ernest William Cromartie.
Biden also stated, “I am commuting the life sentence imposed on Leonard Peltier so that he serves the remainder of his sentence in home confinement.”
Peltier, who has been serving a life sentence for the murder of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and escaping from federal prison, will now continue his sentence from home.
The 80-year-old has spent nearly fifty years in prison, and there have been numerous calls for his clemency in recent years.