Outgoing President Joe Biden had one final act up his sleeve Monday morning, issuing a final round of pardons, for more family members.
Just minutes before President-elect Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States, the White House issued a statement declaring the pardons of Biden’s two brothers, his sister and other family members — to protect them from politically motivated prosecutions after he leaves office, the statement said.
Joe Biden caught quite a bit of flak for pardoning his son Hunter Biden a few weeks ago, on gun possession and tax charges, stating a similar motivation — that his son was being unfairly targeted due to his father’s political status.
In Monday’s last-minute pardon, he extended the protection to his brother James Biden, James’ wife Sarah Biden, Joe’s sister Valerie Biden Owens, her husband John T. Owens and Joe’s younger brother Francis W. Biden.
The White House statement reads … “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.”
In the same order, Biden also commuted the life sentence of Leonard Peltier to serve home confinement, and pardoned two other men.
Earlier Monday, Biden issued blanket pardons for Dr. Anthony Fauci, Gen. Mark Milley, and members of Congress who served on the committee that investigated the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, including former Rep. Liz Cheney.