Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) criticized Democrats for trying to pass a resolution condemning the pardons issued by President Donald Trump of January 6 protesters, noting that the resolution did “not condemn” the “abuse of the pardon power” by former President Joe Biden.
“Democrats do not want a serious debate here about the use of presidential pardon power,” Barrasso said. “If they did want a serious conversation, they would talk about Joe Biden’s pardons. Over 8,000 of them, Mr. President. The previous president used his final days in office to grant clemency to 37 of 40 of the worst killers on death row. President Biden said time and time again, he wouldn’t pardon his son, Hunter. No, no. Not only did he pardon Hunter for the crimes for which he had been convicted, he pardoned him for ten years of his additional criminal activity, which has not yet been discovered.”
Barrasso’s words come as Senate Democrats tried to “pass a resolution by unanimous consent that formally denounces the pardons” of the January 6 rioters issued by Trump, according to CBS News.
“Then, minutes before leaving office, on inauguration day, Joe Biden gave preemptive, blanket pardons to five more members of his own family,” Barrasso continued. “If they weren’t guilty, why would they need or accept pardons?” As Breitbart News previously reported, on inauguration day, Biden granted clemency to family members who were “deeply involved” in the family business, including his brothers James and Frank Biden. Other members of the Biden family who were granted clemency included Sara Jones Biden, Valerie Biden Owens, and John T. Owens.
Barrasso continued to point out other examples of Biden’s abuse of power, such as Biden granting clemency to two men who killed Allen Gibson, a Sussex County Police Officer in Virginia, and Biden commuting the “sentence of a killer who executed two FBI agents in cold blood.”
“President Biden also commuted the sentence of a drug trafficker involved in the murder of an eight-year-old boy and his mother,” Barrasso continued. “The Biden administration actually classified him — believe it or not, as a non-violent offender. Even the Democrat Senator from Connecticut said, ‘Someone dropped the ball on granting that clemency.’ In all, more than 8,000 criminals were pardoned, or had their sentences reduced by Joe Biden. Now, that’s more than any other president in history. It isn’t even close, this resolution that the Senate has asked to consider today, does not condemn the Biden abuse of the pardon power. It does not condemn the pardons or the commutations of police officer killers, of murderers, of rapists. It ignores the pain and suffering of the victims and their families.”
In December, Biden issued presidential pardons to 39 Americans who had been “convicted of non-violent crimes,” and also commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 other people.
