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US President Joe Biden granted clemency to about 1,500 people, the most ever in a single day, saying it “offers mercy to people who have shown remorse and rehabilitation.”
The White House said that the pardon extended to people who were placed in home confinement during the Covid-19 pandemic and “were successfully reintegrated into their families and communities.” Biden also pardoned 39 people convicted of non-violent crimes.
Biden He said many of the 1,500 people would have received shorter prison sentences if they had been charged with the same crimes today. He also promised to take “more steps in the coming weeks.”
This move comes less than two weeks after Biden's announcement He pardoned his son Hunter To convict him on weapons and tax charges in a move that was widely criticized, even among his fellow Democrats. Biden is scheduled to leave the White House on January 20 when President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated.
Biden was under pressure from Democrats to grant pardons to others other than his son before the end of his term. Presidential pardons are a common feature of White House transitions, although they can be controversial.
Trump pardoned several key allies before leaving office after the 2020 election — and is expected to take the unusual step of pardoning individuals convicted in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol by a mob of his supporters.
Hunter Biden's pardon was particularly controversial because of its sweeping nature, covering any crimes he may have committed since 2014. This would insulate him from potential new prosecutions by the Justice Department under Trump, who has vowed to seek revenge against his political opponents.
Biden has been considering preemptive pardons for allies and other individuals Trump might target — including members of the former congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection such as Liz Cheney, a former Wyoming congresswoman and daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney. .
“Frankly, they should be in prison for what they did,” Trump told NBC in an interview on Sunday. Liz Cheney responded that his threat was “a continuation of his assault on the rule of law and the foundations of our republic.”
