Former President Joe Biden pardoned his family approximately 15 minutes before President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
According to a press release obtained by CNBC, Biden announced pardons for his brother, James Biden; James Biden’s wife, Sara Jones Biden; his brother, Francis Biden; his sister, Valerie Biden Owens; and his sister’s husband, John Owens.
A picture of Biden’s pardon was shared Monday on X, formerly Twitter, by Turning Point USA CEO Charlie Kirk. In Biden’s “executive grant of clemency,” the former president noted that his pardon applied to “any Nonviolent Offenses against the United States which they may have committed or taken part in” from January 1, 2014 to January 20, 2025.
“Biden just pardoned his entire family on the way out,” Kirk tweeted. “An unrepentant crook. Worst president of all time. Justice is coming.”
“My family has been subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me—the worst kind of partisan politics,” Biden said in Monday’s press release. “Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe these attacks will end.”
While Biden emphasized his belief in the rule of law and said he was “optimistic” that the “strength” of America’s legal institutions “will ultimately prevail over politics,” he claimed that “baseless and politically motivated investigations wreak havoc on the lives, safety, and financial security of targeted individuals and their families.”
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The former president added, “Even when individuals have done nothing wrong and will ultimately be exonerated, the mere fact of being investigated or prosecuted can irreparably damage their reputations and finances.”
According to Fox News, Biden’s last-minute pardons of his family members comes after House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) asked Trump’s Justice Department to investigate James Biden over allegations that the former president’s brother made false statement to Congress. The outlet also reported that House Republicans previously sent criminal referrals for both James Biden and Hunter Biden to the Justice Department regarding the House’s impeachment inquiry into the former president.
In Monday’s press release, Biden said, “The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that they engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense.”
In addition to pardoning his family members on Monday, Biden also issued preemptive pardons for Retired General Mark Milley, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and members of the January 6 Committee.
Following Biden’s announcement of pardons for Milley, Fauci, and the members of the January 6 Committee, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) tweeted, “Implication is that they needed the pardons… So, let’s call them all before Congress and demand the truth. If they refuse or lie – let’s test the constitutional ‘reach’ of these pardons with regard to their future actions.”