In the dying moments of his presidency on Monday, President Joe Biden granted pardons to many close family members.
“My family has been subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me — the worst kind of partisan politics,” the vice president said in a statement. “Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe these attacks will end.”
“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,” he said later. “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.”
The five preemptive pardons were granted to Joe’s younger brother, James Biden; his wife, Sara Jones Biden; Joe’s younger sister, Valerie Biden Owens; Valerie’s husband, John T. Owens; and Joe’s younger brother, Francis W. Biden.
While attending President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, Biden offered preemptive pardons for his brothers and in-laws.
“I believe in the rule of law and am certain that the strength of our legal institutions will eventually triumph over politics. However, bogus and politically driven investigations have a devastating impact on the lives, safety, and financial security of targeted individuals and their families. Even when people have done nothing wrong and will eventually be cleared, the very fact of being investigated or punished may irreversibly harm their reputations and finances,” Biden stated.
“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,” the vice president stated.
This comes after Biden granted a controversial pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, in early December for tax evasion and federal firearms charges. Biden had consistently stated that he did not intend to pardon Hunter.
Republicans have been particularly critical of James Biden, 75.
Congressional Republicans have urged the new Justice Department to prosecute James Biden with lying to Congress as part of the impeachment investigation into the departing president and his family.
In a statement to AWN, Paul Fishman, an attorney for James and Sara Biden, stated, “Jim and Sara Biden did not seek this pardon because they have never committed any crimes. But, for the reasons stated by the President, they have accepted it.”
On Friday, House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer wrote to new Attorney General Pam Bondi, asking to hold James Biden accountable for “having misled Congress regarding Joe Biden’s participation in his family’s influence peddling and deserving of prosecution under federal law.”
Comer and his Republican colleagues had previously filed a criminal referral for James Biden with the Justice Department. Comer objected to Biden’s family’s preemptive pardons, describing them as “a confession of their corruption.”
The pardon warrant, dated Jan. 19, absolves James Biden and his family members of “ANY NONVIOLENT OFFENSES AGAINST THE UNITED STATES which they may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014, through the date of this pardon.”
The leaving president gave his second preemptive pardons on Monday, which is not unusual for retiring administrations. He also pardoned prospective targets of the incoming Trump administration, such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley, and House Jan. 6 committee members.
“Our country relies on devoted, selfless public servants every day. “They are the lifeblood of our democracy,” Biden stated in his remarks. “Yet alarmingly, public servants have been subjected to ongoing threats and intimidation for faithfully discharging their duties.”