Joe Biden’s last-minute pardon rampage isn’t just unprecedented – it’s an outrageous abuse of presidential power that reveals the true nature of his administration. In his final hours as president, Biden didn’t just grant a few careful pardons to deserving individuals. No, he unleashed a flood of preemptive pardons to shield his family members, political allies, and those who did his bidding throughout his presidency.
Let’s be crystal clear about what happened: A president who repeatedly promised transparency and accountability just pardoned his entire family – including his brother James Biden, sister Valerie Biden Owens, and other family members who have faced serious questions about their business dealings. These aren’t pardons for specific crimes – they’re blank checks written to family members for any “nonviolent crimes” they may have committed over the past decade. If they did nothing wrong, as Biden has repeatedly claimed, why do they need pardons at all?
The hypocrisy is staggering. This is the same Joe Biden who self-righteously lectured the nation in 2020 about how preemptive pardons would damage America’s reputation as “a nation of laws and justice.” Apparently, those principles only applied when he was criticizing others. When it came to protecting his own family and allies, Biden didn’t hesitate to do exactly what he once condemned.
Meanwhile, deserving individuals like Marilyn Mosby, who had widespread support including from civil rights leaders and Bernice King, were left out in the cold. The message is clear: in Biden’s America, justice and mercy are reserved for political insiders and family members, not ordinary citizens.
The pardons of Dr. Fauci, General Milley, and the January 6th committee members are equally troubling. These weren’t acts of mercy – they were political moves designed to shield Biden’s allies from accountability. Biden claimed these public servants needed protection from “revenge,” but what about protecting the American people from unaccountable bureaucrats who wielded enormous power over their lives?
These last-minute pardons follow Biden’s earlier controversial pardon of his son Hunter in December 2024, who had been convicted of federal firearms felonies and pleaded guilty to tax charges. That pardon, which covered all federal offenses from 2014 to 2024, came despite Biden’s repeated promises that he would never pardon his son. Most outrageous of all, Biden then waited until the last possible moment to issue these additional pardons, announcing them just hours before leaving office. This wasn’t transparency – it was a calculated move to minimize public scrutiny and dodge accountability for his actions. Even Democratic leaders like Sen. Adam Schiff and Sen. Amy Klobuchar had warned against such pardons, recognizing the dangerous precedent they would set.
The timing of these pardons, coming right after his son Hunter’s controversial pardon, shows a clear pattern of using presidential power to protect insiders while ignoring average Americans. This isn’t justice – it’s a mockery of it. Biden didn’t just damage trust in the presidency; he took a sledgehammer to it.
These pardons aren’t just a final act of Biden’s presidency – they’re a final confession. They reveal an administration willing to abuse power to protect its own, while abandoning the principles of equal justice it claimed to champion. The American people deserved better than this shameful display of cronyism and self-dealing in their president’s final hours.
DISCLAIMER: The following is an opinion piece based on publicly available news reports and information. The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not constitute legal or professional advice. All facts mentioned are derived from public news sources, and readers are encouraged to verify information independently. This article is for editorial purposes only and should not be construed as a statement of fact.
