Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares criticized President Biden after he granted clemency to Waverly Two, who they said admitted responsibility for the 1998 killing of a Sussex County police officer.
“I'm so angry and completely in disbelief about it President Biden will announce “Pardon Veron Claiborne and Terrence Richardson – the two men who admitted responsibility for the brutal murder of Officer Allen Gibson, a hero and loyal servant of our community,” Youngkin said in a statement.
“What makes this even more unconscionable is that Biden’s US Attorney advised the White House not to commute these sentences because they are violent offenders.”
“The pain and grief this clemency causes the Gibson family is unimaginable,” Youngkin said.
Biden commutes nearly 2,500 additional sentences in final days of presidency
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, left, and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares issued statements criticizing President Biden for granting clemency to the Waverly Two, two men who were acquitted of the 1998 murder of a Sussex County police officer but were sentenced to life in prison in 1998. Accusations of drug trafficking. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images | Mandel Ngan/Pool via Reuters)
“Knowing that the men who killed Officer Gibson will go free is not only a terrible injustice — it is a devastating blow to those who continue to mourn his sacrifice. This is despicable; it is a grim day for justice and for the families who have faith that our system will hold the guilty accountable,” Youngkin said.
Youngkin's office said Claiborne and Richardson admitted to entering Sussex County Circuit Court For being responsible for the brutal murder of Gibson.
“The evidence presented and the details surrounding Officer Gibson’s death are deeply disturbing and tragic,” Youngkin said.
Youngkin's office said then-President Obama refused to grant clemency to Clyburn and Richardson.
Under current conditions, both men are scheduled to be released in July.
“This is despicable. I am extremely angry and in complete disbelief that President Biden would announce a pardon for these two violent criminals,” Youngkin wrote in a post on X.
Biden's full list of clemency and commutation recipients revealed
Miyares echoed Youngkin's disgust and said his office will continue to seek justice for Gibson's family.
“I am outraged that Biden is granting clemency to police killers, and that Chrisanna, the fallen officer's son, is being forced to relive this trauma. Shame on you, Joe Biden and your enabling staff. May the memory of Officer Allen Gibson and his family haunt each and every one of us. You forever,” Miyares wrote in a post on X.
Miyares also shared a statement from Krisanna Gibson, who was angry about Biden's decision.
“I am extremely angry about what happened. My heart is broken to learn that the men who killed my father will be released from prison and can walk the streets freely. This is a massive miscarriage of justice, and I am absolutely disgusted by it.” The outgoing administration wrote. “The Virginia Attorney General's Office worked tirelessly to keep these killers behind bars, and I am forever grateful for their dedication and hard work. I am deeply disappointed that the disgraceful Biden administration has failed my family, my father, and the entire law enforcement staff.” Neither my family nor I ever supported the release of Richardson or Clyburn, and we condemn this decision made by the outgoing failed presidency of Joe Biden and the Democratic Party's abuse of the justice system.
On April 25, 1998, Allen Gibson, 25, woke up, went to work as a Waverly police officer and never came home after being shot with his service weapon in the woods behind an apartment complex, Miyares said.
“He put on his bulletproof vest and said goodbye to his 8-year-old daughter, Chrisanna. Officer Gibson found Terrence Richardson and Veron Claiborne involved in a drug deal behind an apartment building. The men attacked Officer Gibson, and Richardson disarmed Officer Gibson and Miyares described shooting him fatally in the His stomach is underneath his bulletproof vest.
Claiborne and Richardson were named as suspects and were arrested for Gibson's murder shortly after his death, officials said.
Both men are still serving life sentences for the remaining drug trafficking charge, but a federal jury acquitted them of murder and firearms charges.
Biden announced on Friday morning that he would commute the sentences issued against him Nearly 2,500 prisoners As his presidency approaches the end.
The commutation is for people convicted of nonviolent drug crimes who “serve disproportionately long sentences” compared to what they would receive if sentenced under today's law.
However, Biden has come under bipartisan criticism over those he decided to pardon or commute their sentences.
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At the end of December, he chose to commute the sentences of 37 of 40 men on federal death row, helping them escape execution and sending them to prison for life without parole instead.
Biden also bragged about its completion “The largest amnesty grant in one day” On December 12, when he commuted the sentences of 1,500 people and pardoned 39 others, most of them were already serving time in home confinement due to decisions made during the Covid-19 era.
Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Pritchett contributed to this report.
Stephenie Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Tips and story ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com
