US President Joe Biden has granted presidential pardons to 39 Americans convicted of non-violent crimes, and commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 others.
The White House described it as one of the president’s most acts of mercy issued in a single day. It comes after Biden made the decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden.
The US Constitution stipulates that the president has broad powers to “grant relief and pardon for crimes against the United States, except for impeachment”.
Announcing the move, Biden said those pardoned had “demonstrated successful rehabilitation and demonstrated commitment to making their communities stronger and safer”.
The White House has released a list of 39 people who have been pardoned saying those people committed a “non-violent crime” or a “non-violent drug crime”. It did not mention the specific crimes they were convicted of.
Many of those pardoned were people who had been released from prison. Many were veterans or had become community leaders or lawyers.
The White House described one person who was pardoned as a 49-year-old Virginia resident who had a 21-year-old drug conviction. After serving his sentence, he went on to earn a university degree, and had a successful career in the US Army as well. Airmen and volunteers for charities that support veterans.
He is known as “hard-working, dedicated, and honest by those who know him,” the White House said in a statement that provided a brief history of all those who received amnesty.
The 1,499 overturned sentences include people who were under house arrest during the Covid-19 crisis, as well as those sentenced by Biden who felt they were too long due to outdated laws.
“They have shown that they deserve a second chance,” said Biden about those who had their sentences overturned.
Biden promised “further steps in the coming weeks”.
The president will leave the White House on January 20, 2025, when his successor Donald Trump is inaugurated.
Biden previously held the record for pardoning fewer people than most presidents in modern US history.
However, he has issued an amnesty for the past few sections. This is an amnesty given to a large number of people who fall under the category specified by the president.
In October 2022, Biden issued a blanket amnesty for those convicted of marijuana possession, and later expanded that to include other marijuana-related offenses.
Earlier this year, Biden issued another full amnesty for military and veterans convicted of crimes based on their sexuality.
Biden’s decision earlier this month to pardon his son, Hunter, continued a trend of presidents on both sides of America’s political divide — including Trump — offering clemency to people close to them.
The younger Biden was facing convictions for two counts of felony tax evasion and a felony firearms offense.
This act seemed to be the talk of the town, as the outgoing president has dismissed it. But he said his son’s crimes have political implications.
Biden has also decided to grant amnesty to prominent critics of his successor Trump in an attempt to protect them from punishment after the president-elect takes office, but he is reportedly worried about the precedent he will set.
In another incident that happened on Thursday, the former FBI agent pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, which led to the investigation of the Biden family.
Alexander Smirnov has admitted he made up a “hoax” about Biden and his son accepting bribes from Ukrainian energy company Burisma. The claim was taken by Republicans in Congress as evidence of corruption.
Trump has granted 237 acts of mercy during his first term in the White House, according to the Pew Research Center. These include 143 amnesties and 94 overturned sentences.
Many were surprised before he left office.
In recent days, Trump has promised to grant amnesty on his first day in office to people convicted of participating in the January 6, 2021 protest on Capitol Hill, where his supporters tried to block the confirmation of Biden’s election victory.
He said this week the amnesty will be for “non-violent” people.
“The majority should not be imprisoned, and they should suffer more,” he said in an interview with Time magazine on Thursday.
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