When Joe Biden suddenly dropped out of the presidential race in late July, it seemed that unprecedented event would be the capstone of his failed presidency. But it turns out Biden had one final act that would further cement his shameful legacy – a shocking deluge of pardons and sentence commutations that even many Democrats are blasting as a dangerous abuse of power.
The pardon spree began with the president’s son, Hunter, following his conviction in two separate federal cases earlier this year. As AMAC Newsline reported at the time, Joe Biden had repeatedly stated that he had no intentions of pardoning his son, a promise echoed by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
However, with the election over and Biden on his way out the door with his legacy in tatters, it appears he no longer felt any need to keep his promises or resist using the presidency’s powers to hand his son a get-out-of-jail-free card. The younger Biden faced up to 17 years in prison on tax charges and up to 25 years in prison on gun charges.
Arguably the most egregious aspect of Hunter Biden’s pardon was how broad it was in scope – granting him immunity from any and all crimes he “may have committed” going all the way back to January 1, 2014. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont warned that the move set a “dangerous” precedent. “It was a very wide-open pardon, which could, under different circumstances, lead to problems in terms of future presidents,” Sanders said.
California Governor Gavin Newsom also joined in the chorus of Democrats breaking with Biden over the pardon. “I took the president at his word,” Newsom said. “So, by definition, I’m disappointed and can’t support the decision.” Colorado Governor Jared Polis called the decision “a bad precedent” that “will sadly tarnish his reputation,” while Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren told reporters, “No one is above the law, and that includes presidents, former presidents, and family members of the presidents.”
But Joe Biden appeared wholly unbothered by his Democrat critics, following up Hunter’s pardon by commuting jail sentences for more than 1,500 individuals and granting 39 pardons just days later. In a statement, White House officials bragged that Biden “has issued more sentence commutations at this point in his presidency than any of his recent predecessors at the same point in their first terms.”
Indeed, Biden has now issued nearly as many executive clemency grants in one term as former President Barack Obama did in two terms. In total, Obama granted clemency to 1,927 people, by far the most of any president going back to Harry Truman, who was in office from 1945 to 1953. Between 2017 and 2021, Donald Trump granted just 143 pardons and commuted 93 sentences.
A few of Biden’s pardons in particular stand out as particularly scandalous.
One clemency grant went to Michael Conahan, a former Pennsylvania judge at the center of the infamous “Kids-for-Cash” scheme that sent children to for-profit detention centers in return for millions of dollars in kickbacks from private prisons to Conahan and another judge. Conahan was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison in 2011.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, called Biden’s clemency grant “absolutely wrong,” saying the decision has “created a lot of pain here in northeastern Pennsylvania.”
Families of Conahan’s victims also spoke out. “Conahan’s actions destroyed families, including mine, and my son’s death is a tragic reminder of the consequences of his abuse of power,” said Sandy Fonzo, whose son, Edward, took his own life after Conahan sentenced him to eight months in a juvenile detention center. “This pardon feels like an injustice for all of us who still suffer. Right now, I am processing and doing the best I can to cope with the pain that this has brought back.”
The list of Biden clemency recipients also includes former Illinois city comptroller Rita Crundwell, who pleaded guilty to her involvement in a nearly $55 million embezzlement scheme in 2012. “Now, today I anticipate she’s dancing in the streets of Dixon with her commutation because she just also conned the President of the United States,” said former U.S. Marshal Jason Wojdylo when he learned of the news. Wojdylo played a key role in bringing down Crundwell for her crimes.
With just over a month left before he leaves office, Biden’s clemency spree may not be over. According to reports, Biden is considering “pre-emptive pardons” of individuals like former representative and vice chair of the January 6 Committee Liz Cheney, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mark Milley – all of whom may face investigation under the incoming Trump administration.
As constitutional law scholar John Yoo recently put it in a piece for National Review, “Not only would such broad use of the pardon power mark a cynical development following Biden’s own unprecedented lawfare campaign against Donald Trump, it would also disregard the reasons why the Constitution gives this power to the president.”
There is no denying that the Constitution vests the president with sweeping clemency power. However, the Founding Fathers intended for that power to be used to advance the national interest and promote social harmony.
Biden’s clemency bonanza does not just fail to accomplish either of those goals, it actively undermines them. It is, if nothing else, a fitting final chapter to the most corrupt presidency in modern history.
B.C. Brutus is the pen name of a writer with previous experience in the legislative and executive branches.
Read the full article here
