In the largest single-day act of clemency in contemporary history, Biden granted clemency to almost 1,500 individuals.
The White House said Thursday morning that President Biden has completed the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history by granting 39 pardons and commuting the jail sentences of roughly 1,500 individuals.
Inmates who “have successfully reintegrated into their families and communities” after being placed in home confinement during the COVID-19 outbreak had their sentences shortened, the release stated. According to the White House, the 39 people who were pardoned were found guilty of non-violent offenses.
However, the White House did not immediately make public the identities of those who were pardoned and had their sentences commuted.
“The President has issued more sentence commutations at this point in his presidency than any of his recent predecessors at the same point in their first terms,” a statement from the White House read.
Biden made a suggestion that before he leaves office, he might grant additional pardons and clemencies.
“In the upcoming weeks, I’ll take additional action. In order to advance equal justice under the law, enhance public safety, facilitate rehabilitation and reentry, and offer genuine second chances, my administration will keep evaluating clemency petitions,” Biden stated.
The president is under bipartisan criticism for pardoning his son Hunter of felony gun and tax charges, which coincides with Thursday’s pardons.
Biden repeatedly promised over the course of several months that he would not step in on behalf of his son, but on December 1st, he broke his promise. The action was widely unpopular with Americans, despite criticism from major personalities. Only two out of ten Americans supported the pardon, according to an Associated Press poll released on Wednesday.
Earlier this year, the first son was found guilty in two other federal prosecutions. After lying on a required gun purchase form by claiming he was not addicted to or using drugs illegally, he was found guilty of three felony gun counts in June after entering a guilty plea to federal tax charges in September.
In a statement, the president claimed that Hunter was “singled out only because he is my son” and that an attempt was made to “break Hunter” in order to “break me.”
A day following the pardon, reporters questioned White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about whether President Biden and his aides misled the American people. “One thing the president believes is to always be truthful with the American people,” Jean-Pierre retorted, citing Biden’s own remarks on the subject several times.