The outgoing president issued the pardons just minutes before leaving office (Image: Getty)
Outgoing US President pardoned his siblings and their spouses in one of his final acts in office.
The former president announced the sweeping list of pardons just minutes before his term in office came to an end saying his family had been “subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me — the worst kind of partisan politics”.
In a remarkable use of presidential power, despite none of those pardoned being charged with any crime in an attempt to stave off any future prosecution brought by the new Trump administration.
In a statement he 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 offence.”
Last month, , despite previous pledges not to.
:
The announcement came minutes before Biden travelled to the Capitol with Trump (Image: Getty)
Mr Biden issued blanket pardons for his brother James and his wife, Sara, his sister, Valerie, and her husband, John Owens and his brother Francis.
Mr Biden also pardoned , retired general Mark Milley and members of the House committee that investigated the January 6 attack on the Capitol and allies who have been targeted by Republican .
Since his defeat in the 2020 election, has vowed retribution on those who he believes helped to steal the election from him.
Reaction to the announcement has been mixed, ranging from understanding of the need to protect family members in the face of Trump’s threats to prosecute opponents, to dismay from opponents who have accused Biden of a “cover up”.
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul posted on X: “If there was ever any doubt as to who bears responsibility for the pandemic, Biden’s pardon of Fauci forever seals the deal. As Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee I will not rest until the entire truth of the cover-up is exposed.”
Don’t miss… [REPORT] [REVEALED]
Joe Biden and his vice-president Kamala Harris were in attendance (Image: Getty)
Journalist Steven Edginton said: “This is unprecedented and looks incredibly corrupt. His legacy is in tatters.”
The issuing of pardons is common in American politics, particularly at the end of a term in office.
On most occasions, pardons are given for crimes that have been committed and proven in a court of law, with a portion of the sentence being served.
pardoned his brother Roger for drug charges after he had served his sentence roughly a decade earlier.
In his final weeks in office, Mr Trump pardoned Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in law, Jared Kushner, as well as multiple allies convicted in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.