Minutes before leaving the presidency, Joe Biden pardoned his siblings and their spouses, saying Monday that his family had been “subjected to relentless attacks and threats, motivated solely by the desire to do me harm — the worst kind of partisan politics.”
“Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe that these attacks will end,” he said as his presidential term ended.
The family pardon was a surprise finale in a series of unprecedented presidential actions by the Democrat, who has been known for his intuition during his half-century in politics. Biden also pardoned Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley, members of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and allies targeted by Republican President Donald Trump. He was sworn in on Monday.
It was a remarkable use of Biden’s presidential power: None of the above have been charged with any crime, and the move was designed to protect against potential retaliation by Trump.
Trump repeatedly indicated during his campaign that he would seek to use the Justice Department to retaliate against his political opponents. Pam Bondi, her pick for attorney general, told lawmakers during her confirmation hearing last week that the department would not prosecute anyone for political purposes. But she refused to rule out possible investigations into Trump’s opponents, including the special counsel who filed two federal criminal cases against Trump that have since been dropped.
Get breaking national news
For news affecting Canada and around the world, sign up to get breaking news alerts delivered to you right as they happen.
Last month, Biden pardoned his son Hunter for tax and gun crimes, despite his previous pledges not to do so.
Biden issued a comprehensive pardon to his brother James and his wife Sarah. His sister Valerie and her husband John Owens. And his brother Francis.
He said in a statement: “Issuing this pardon should not be misconstrued as an admission of involvement in any wrongdoing, nor should its acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt in any crime.”
The pardon came shortly before noon. Biden was already in the Capitol building to attend Trump’s inauguration.
House Republicans in June sent a letter to the Justice Department recommending the prosecution of Hunter and James Biden, accusing them of making false statements to Congress as part of the Republican impeachment inquiry. James Biden’s lawyer at the time called it a “baseless, partisan act.” James Biden’s business dealings have come under intense scrutiny by Republicans as part of the failed impeachment inquiry. Republicans pointed to a series of payments they claimed showed the president benefited from his brother’s work.
House Democrats have defended the deal, pointing to bank records that they say indicate James Biden was repaying a loan made by his brother Joe, who wired $200,000 to him about six weeks ago. The money changed hands when Joe Biden was a private citizen.
In a voluntary interview as part of the impeachment inquiry, James Biden said his brother had “absolutely no role” in the business dealings of other members of his family.
Other presidents have pardoned their family members, but only because of specific criminal convictions.
Bill Clinton pardoned his brother Roger on drug charges after serving his sentence nearly a decade ago. In the final weeks of his first term, Trump pardoned Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, as well as several allies convicted in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.
& Edition 2025 The Canadian Press
