On Monday, CNN’s John King and David Axelrod ripped into outgoing POTUS Joe Biden for issuing last-minute (last-second!) pardons for members of his family under investigation for influence peddling.
Biden pardoned his brothers James and Frank, his sister-in-law Sara Biden and his sister Valerie and her husband, John Owens just moments before Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th President.
“My family has been subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me—the worst kind of partisan politics. Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe these attacks will end,” the outgoing president said in a statement minutes before leaving office.
“I believe in the rule of law, and I am optimistic that the strength of our legal institutions will ultimately prevail over politics. But baseless and politically motivated investigations wreak havoc on the lives, safety, and financial security of targeted individuals and their families. 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.”
Biden added: “That is why I am exercising my power under the Constitution to pardon James B. Biden, Sara Jones Biden, Valerie Biden Owens, John T. Owens, and Francis W. Biden. 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.”
King and Axelrod agreed the last-minute Biden pardons would be a “stain on his legacy.”
“It’s just unseemly. If you’re going to do it, have the courage to do it in the light of day and explain it to the American people,” King said. “It’s a stain on his legacy to do it like this. We can have an argument on ‘is it necessary, has Donald Trump promised retribution?’ Yes, he is. But I just, if you’re the President of the United States who said the curse of Donald Trump was that he didn’t respect democracy and didn’t respect norms, have the courage to look the American people in the eye and explain what you’re doing.”
Watch the clip below:
CNN's John King on Joe Biden's last-minute preemptive pardons of his family members: "It's just unseemly… It's a stain on his legacy." pic.twitter.com/sbKtfjxRjH
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) January 20, 2025
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