OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
5:21 PM – Thursday, December 12, 2024
By pardoning 39 Americans convicted of crimes and commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 others, President Joe Biden has now executed the largest act of presidential clemency in modern U.S. history in a single day.
He says that this action will “help reunite families, strengthen communities, and reintegrate individuals back into society,” which was the stated goal of his broad clemency, according to a statement released by the White House on Thursday.
Advertisement
All of the nearly 1,500 commutations that the Democrat president has ordered pertain to inmates who were freed from prisons and placed in home confinement during the COVID-19 outbreak. As an emergency action under the Cares Act, thousands of inmates were sent home to “stop the coronavirus from spreading quickly” throughout federal prisons.
According to Biden, he claims that each person included in the latest commutations had demonstrated that they were reunited with their families and dedicated to rehabilitation while serving their sentences remotely.
“These commutation recipients have successfully reintegrated into their families and communities and have shown that they deserve a second chance,” the White House continued.
Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress have been pushing to return the thousands of federal inmates back to prison who were previously released during the COVID-19 era.
The nearly 1,500 Americans will have their sentences shortened, but their convictions kept under the commutations. The criminal verdicts for the 39 individuals whom Biden pardoned have been completely overturned.
The 39 were all “convicted of non-violent felonies,” including major drug convictions, according to the White House.
“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 offences,” Biden said.
With this broad act of clemency, Biden has now issued nearly 1,700 pardons and commutations throughout his four-year presidency. Former Democrat President Barack Obama granted clemency to 1,927 individuals throughout his two terms, primarily through commutations. As one of his last actions as president in 2017, Obama commuted the sentences of 330 federal prisoners convicted of drug offenses, earning him credit for the second-largest single-day act of clemency.
On the flip side, Donald Trump “pardoned 74 people and commuted the sentences of 70 others,” NBC News reported. He maintained that thorough research on each charged individual went into his decision making process.
Recently, despite his repeated promises not to, President Biden granted his son, Hunter, a full pardon earlier this month on his federal firearms and tax charges. However, even Democrat allies were harshly critical of the action. According to a recent Associated Press poll, only 20% of Americans approved of the Hunter pardon move, demonstrating how the majority of Americans accept that they were lied to by Biden.
The White House added: “In the coming weeks, the President will take additional steps to provide meaningful second chances and continue to review additional pardons and commutations,” suggesting that Biden will wield his presidential clemency power again before leaving office.
Biden’s 39 Pardons:
- Nina Simona Allen, 49, of Harvest, Alabama
- Kelsie Lynn Becklin, 38, of Falcon Heights, Minnesota
- Duran Arthur Brown, 44, of Cleveland, Ohio
- Norman O’Neal Brown, 56, of Washington, DC
- Arthur Lawrence Byrd, 58, of Clinton, Maryland
- Sarah Jean Carlson, 49, of Coon Rapids, Minnesota
- Brandon Sergio Castroflay, 49, of Alexandria, Virginia
- Rosetta Jean Davis, 60, of Colville, Washington
- Stevoni Wells Doyle, 47, of Santaquin, Utah
- Gregory S. Ekman, 58, of Fountain Valley, California
- Shannan Rae Faulkner, 56, of Muldrow, Oklahoma
- Trynitha Fulton, 46, of New Orleans, Louisiana
- Paul John Garcia, 72, of Las Vegas, New Mexico
- Kim Douglas Haman, 75, of Lima, Ohio
- Sherranda Janell Harris, 43, of Norwalk, Connecticut
- Terence Anthony Jackson, 36, of Seattle, Washington
- Edwin Allen Jones, 60, of Paducah, Kentucky
- Jamal Lee King, 53, of North Ridgeville, Ohio
- Jerry Donald Manning, 70, of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin
- Honi Lori Moore, 46, of Rock Springs, Wyoming
- Emily Good Nelson, 39, of Indianapolis, Indiana
- Denita Nicole Parker, 43, of Gaffney, South Carolina
- Michael Gary Pelletier, 67, of Augusta, Maine
- Russell Thomas Portner, 74, of Toutle, Washington
- Nathaniel David Reed III, 46, of San Antonio, Texas
- Gary Michael Robinson, 70, of Redmond, Oregon
- Jose Antonio Rodriguez, 55, of Coral Springs, Florida
- Patrice Chante Sellers, 49, of Bear, Delaware
- Audrey Diane Simon, 63, of Prescott, Wisconsin
- James Russell Stidd, 79, of Groveport, Ohio
- Diana Bazan Villanueva, 51, of La Grange, Illinois
- Lashawn Marrvinia Walker, 51, of Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Mireya Aimee Walmsley, 57, of La Porte, Texas
- Kimberly Jo Warner, 54, of Portville, New York
- Johnnie Earl Williams, 58, of Denver, Colorado
- Shawnte Dorothea Williams, 45, of Columbia, South Carolina
- Lashundra Tenneal Wilson, 49, of Arlington, Texas
- Lora Nicole Wood, 39, of Maxwell, Nevada
- James Edgar Yarbrough, 79, of Arlington, Tennessee
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
Advertisements below
Be the first to comment