Biden Pardons Five Family Members and Hunter Biden in Final Minutes as President

Jan 20, 2025, 05:01 PM

In his final minutes in office, President Joe Biden issued preemptive pardons to five members of his family: James B. Biden, Sara Jones Biden, Valerie Biden Owens, John T. Owens, and Francis W. Biden. The pardons were announced as Biden was preparing to leave the White House, with the intention of shielding his family from potential legal actions by the incoming administration of Donald Trump. Biden stated that his family had been subjected to 'unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me — the worst kind of partisan politics.' He expressed no belief that these attacks would cease, prompting his decision to use his constitutional powers to issue these pardons. Additionally, Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden for tax and gun crimes last month. The move was part of a broader series of actions by Biden, which also included pardons for other individuals such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired General Mark Milley, and members of the House committee that investigated the January 6 attack on the Capitol.