Outgoing President Joe Biden dropped the mic with the largest single-day act of clemency in modern U.S. history, commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 Americans—but not everybody is convinced by his “second chances” spiel.
The White House announcement Thursday comes two weeks after Biden gave a sweeping and unpopular pardon to his son Hunter after his convictions for gun possession and income tax evasion. The move was criticized across the political spectrum. And some are now suggesting that the outgoing president is overcompensating for this act, with one X user saying: “Smoke screen for his own benefit, perhaps.”
Another person agreed that the raft of goodwill was a red herring. “It’s nothing but a ruse to distract us from Hunter’s pardon,” they said.
A third added: “Overload the system in attempt to mask the criminal Hunter ‘pardon’.”
“Joe is just making cover for Hunter’s pardon,” another said.
But despite the doubts and the usual wave of MAGA ire at the decision, most of those being pardoned had been placed in home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic, while 39 were serving sentences for nonviolent crimes.
Biden said those pardoned had “shown successful rehabilitation and have shown commitment to making their communities stronger and safer.” He added that he would be taking more steps in the weeks ahead and would continue to review clemency petitions.
“America was built on the promise of possibility and second chances,” Biden said in a statement.
“As president, I have the great privilege of extending mercy to people who have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation, restoring opportunity for Americans to participate in daily life and contribute to their communities, and taking steps to remove sentencing disparities for non-violent offenders, especially those convicted of drug offenses.”
President Biden had pardoned 26 people while in office, including his son, before Thursday. The second largest single-day act of clemency was by Barack Obama, with 330, in 2017. He too was on the way out of the White House when he made the call.
