As U.S. President Joe Biden nears the end of his term, just two days before leaving the White House, he has used his presidential powers to pardon nearly 2,500 people. The White House has described this as the largest number of pardons granted in a single day in U.S. history.
It is customary for U.S. presidents to grant some pardons before leaving office, but Biden has set a record in this regard. Last month, he pardoned nearly 1,500 people as well.
In a statement, Biden said that those who were pardoned had been serving sentences significantly longer than what they would have received today. Most of them were convicted of non-violent drug offenses. Biden also granted clemency to some individuals who had been found guilty.
Biden described this move as “a vital step to correct historic wrongs, address sentencing disparities, and provide deserving individuals the opportunity to reunite with their families.”
He stated, “Through this action, I have issued the highest number of individual pardons and sentence commutations in U.S. history.” He also hinted at granting more pardons or sentence commutations before handing over power to newly elected President Donald Trump.
Among those pardoned in December was Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, who faced potential imprisonment after being convicted of firearms and tax-related offenses.
Biden is reportedly also considering blanket pardons for some associates and former officials, as there are concerns they could become targets of “retaliatory actions” under President Trump’s administration.
In December, Biden commuted the death sentences of 37 out of 40 inmates on federal death row.
Three individuals were excluded from this decision: one of the Boston Marathon bombers from 2013, the gunman who killed 11 Jewish worshippers in 2018, and a white supremacist who killed nine Black churchgoers in 2015.
Trump has already indicated that he will reinstate federal executions, which had been paused during Biden’s presidency.