In over 100 years of presidential history, Joe Biden has reached a unique milestone, but not an admirable one. He can claim the dubious distinction of having conferred fewer individual pardons than any other president. This may seem a curious footnote in his administration’s record, yet it draws attention to a lack of leniency typically exercised by the Oval Office.
As every last sand from the hourglass of his presidency drops, there is an undercurrent of desperate effort to increase the clemency counts. And conveniently enough, being acquainted with the president or his confidants, or having a high-profile lawyer, could expedite a pardon request.
Serving up a paltry number of individual pardons compared to his predecessors over the past century doesn’t exactly paint a flattering picture for Biden. Not one to let statistics define him, Biden is apparently in a last-ditch endeavor to rack up more clemencies before the curtain falls on January 20.
Proclaiming a pardon for a category of offenses or putting signature to a pardon warrant for a particular convict are among the prerogatives of a president. However, matching up to President William McKinley’s record set in 1897-1901 might prove a formidable task for Biden, given his current, meager tally of granted pardons.
If we’re looking at setting records, President Jimmy Carter surely doesn’t disappoint. In his single term, Carter doled out 534 individual pardons, truly a high bar amongst the one-termers. Additionally, he granted amnesty to an unspecified list of Vietnam draft dodgers from the period of 1964-1973.
Now, consider President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Even in the face of a busy fourth term and his demise in 1945, he was able to offer clemency an impressive 2,819 times. This figure errs on the side of the ridiculous when juxtaposed with Biden’s clemency count.
In Biden’s administration, your wish for a presidential reprieve must navigate through the labyrinth of the Justice Department’s pardon attorney office. It is here that formal requests are sifted and those deemed worthy are forwarded to the president.
In a pathetically transparent strategy, Biden is allegedly contemplating granting unclear pardons designed (poorly, it may be added) to safeguard people from Trump’s investigations. Even this move appears less in the interests of justice, and more an instance of partisan tit-for-tat gamesmanship – typical of Biden, though not surprising.
Death-row reprieves have become a hot-button issue for Biden, who used his stance on the death penalty as a campaign tactic in 2020. Now, his pledge to eliminate it keeps him at odds with advocates for those condemned inmates who clamor for blanket pardons – setting him up for another in a long list of failures to satisfy major policy promises made during that campaign.
The contentious case of Hunter Biden’s pardon is a stark example of how such an act can spark immense discord. One only has to remember this to understand the potential volatility of clemency decisions.
The end of a presidential term often unfolds with a series of controversial pardons. Biden, it seems, has taken this to heart and played out the questionable tradition in public view.
Bill Clinton’s pardon of the absconded financier Marc Rich is a relevant case in point, handed out on the literal last day of Clinton’s term in 2001. What made this fairly eyebrow-raising was Mr. Rich’s ex-spouse, Denise, had only just before that generously contributed $200k to the Democratic Party.
Rich had sought refuge in Switzerland in 1983 after he was charged with over 50 counts of fraud, and accused of escaping more than $48 million worth in taxes. One might draw parallels to Biden’s tenure. Could we see a similar ‘gift’ handed out as the Biden administration draws to a close?
The throw of the dice that is the pardoning power of a president is a fascinating side game in the grand theatre of American politics. But under the guidance of Joe Biden, it seems these pardons are proving more controversial than constructive. An unsavory impression lingers, one that sees pardons not as seemed – a tool for justice – but a plaything of the politically influential.
Biden’s Pardoning Power: Leniency or Political Plaything? appeared first on Real News Now.
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