CNN’s John King and David Axelrod on Monday harshly criticized former President Joe Biden for his “blunder” in granting last-minute pardons to families just before leaving office.
Biden pardoned his brothers James and Frank, his sister-in-law Sarah Biden, and his sister Valerie and her husband John Owens shortly before President Donald Trump took the oath of office in the Capitol Rotunda. . King said the former president’s actions were “unseemly” and that he should have “looked the American people in the eye” to explain his decision.
“It’s just unseemly. If you’re going to do it, be brave and explain it to the American people in the light of day,” King said. “To do something like this is to leave a stain on his legacy. One could argue, ‘Is that necessary? Did Donald Trump promise retaliation?’ Yes, that’s right. But I hope that if you’re the president of the United States who says that Donald Trump’s curse is that he doesn’t respect democracy and norms, you have the courage to look the American people in the eyes and explain. you’re doing. “
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Axelrod claimed that Biden’s sudden move suggested that “something is wrong” with pardoning families, adding that the “retribution” that Trump had previously promised was a sign that the former president was He said that does not explain why he waited until his term.
“If you look at the way it was done, you can see there was something wrong with the way it was done. He tried to make it work in the last few minutes…but the fact is, Trump has been saying this for a long time. “That doesn’t explain why he was secretly released in the last 10 minutes of his presidency. It just makes the whole thing look cheap,” Axelrod said. (Related: Biden frees cop killer and dangerous criminal in last-minute act of clemency)
This last-minute pardon follows Biden in December pardoning his son Hunter for all crimes he may have committed between January 1, 2014 and December 1, 2024. It was. Former president and former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has said repeatedly: Hunter promised he would not be pardoned by his father for charges of illegally purchasing guns and failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes.
Despite the fact that Biden’s Justice Department was overseeing the investigation into Hunter, Biden said his family was the victim of “the worst kind of partisan politics.”
Mr. James is involved in Mr. Hunter’s overseas business dealings, and Mr. Frank used his brother’s appointment in January 2021 to promote his law firm in Florida in connection with litigation against sugar farmers. However, while working at the company, he reportedly interrupted a business meeting to talk to a “great person.” Manufacturing company.
Biden also granted preemptive pardons to former White House health adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci, General Mark Milley and members of the Jan. 6 Commission in his final hours as president.
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