President Joe Biden pardoned his family members, including his businessman brother James and political adviser sister Valerie, in his final moments in office before Donald Trump returned to power.
Biden justified his preemptive pardons, contending his “family has been subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me — the worst kind of partisan politics” and adding, “Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe these attacks will end.”
The last-minute action adds to an earlier sweeping pardon for his son, Hunter Biden.
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“I believe in the rule of law, and I am optimistic that the strength of our legal institutions will ultimately prevail over politics,” Joe Biden wrote in a statement roughly 20 minutes before the end of his presidency. “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.”
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He added, “That is why I am exercising my power under the Constitution to pardon James B. Biden, Sara Jones Biden, Valerie Biden Owens, John T. Owens, and Francis W. Biden. 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.”
Biden’s last-minute clemency action also included other preemptive pardons for Gen. Mark Milley, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and the members and staff of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol.
