BALTIMORE — In a social media post on Inauguration Day, supporters of former Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby said they were disappointed that she did not receive a presidential pardon.
“While we’re deeply disappointed that Marilyn Mosby did not receive a pardon, this fight is far from over. Justice is a journey, and we remain committed to standing by her and amplifying her truth,” the group, Justice for Marilyn Mosby said in the social media post. “Thank you to the 97,000+ people who stood with us in the fight for JUSTICE —for a mother, an advocate, and a true champion for her community.”
The NAACP, Bernice King, the daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., and others advocated for Mosby to be pardoned – claiming Mosby was unfairly targeted and unjustly convicted.
In December 2024, former President Biden pardoned 39 people convicted of nonviolent crimes and commuted the sentences of 1,500 others.
Biden declared on Inauguration Day that he would be preemptively pardoning several individuals who could be targeted with President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House. This group included members of his family, Dr. Anthony Fauci, General Mark A. Milley, and members of the House Jan. 6 committee and their staff.
Christian Olaniran is a digital producer for CBS Baltimore, where he writes stories on diverse topics including politics, arts and culture. With a passion for storytelling and content creation, he produces engaging visual content for social media, and other platforms.
Supporters of Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby were left disappointed and frustrated after President Biden’s recent pardons did not include her name. Mosby, who has been a vocal advocate for criminal justice reform and has faced backlash for her progressive policies, was widely believed to be a strong candidate for a presidential pardon.
Many of Mosby’s supporters had been hopeful that President Biden would recognize her contributions to the fight for justice and grant her a pardon. However, their hopes were dashed when the list of pardons was released and Mosby’s name was noticeably absent.
The omission of Mosby from the pardons has sparked outrage among her supporters, with many taking to social media to express their disappointment and call for justice. They believe that Mosby’s exclusion is a clear injustice and a missed opportunity to show support for a dedicated public servant who has worked tirelessly to reform the criminal justice system.
Despite the disappointment, Mosby’s supporters have vowed to continue to stand by her side and support her in her efforts to bring about positive change in the criminal justice system. They remain hopeful that justice will prevail and that Mosby will eventually receive the recognition and support she deserves.
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President Biden pardoned five members of his family in his last minutes in office, saying in a statement that he did so not because they did anything wrong but because he feared political attacks from incoming President Donald J. Trump.
“My family has been subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me — the worst kind of partisan politics,” he said in his last statement as president. “Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe these attacks will end.”
Mr. Biden’s action pardoned James B. Biden, his brother; Sara Jones Biden, James’s wife; Valerie Biden Owens, Mr. Biden’s sister; John T. Owens, Ms. Owens’s husband; and Francis W. Biden, Mr. Biden’s brother.
The White House announced the pardons with less than 20 minutes left in Mr. Biden’s presidency, after he had already walked into the Capitol Rotunda to witness the swearing-in of Mr. Trump before leaving the Capitol for the last time as president.
The pardons were a remarkable coda to Mr. Biden’s 50-year political career, underscoring the mistrust and anger that the president feels about Mr. Trump, the man who preceded and will succeed him in office.
Mr. Biden had repeatedly warned that Mr. Trump was a threat to democracy in America. But he also said that he believed in the rule of law, and was confident in the stability of the institutions of law enforcement. The pardons — like one that he did earlier for his son, Hunter Biden, threatened to challenge that assertion.
In his statement, Mr. Biden explained his action.
“I believe in the rule of law, and I am optimistic that the strength of our legal institutions will ultimately prevail over politics,” Mr. Biden wrote. “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.”
Mr. Biden also commuted the life sentence for Leonard Peltier, the Native American activist who was convicted of killing two F.B.I. agents in 1975 on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Mr. Biden said that his action would allow Mr. Peltier, who is 80 years old, to serve the remainder of his time in home confinement.
In his statement, White House officials noted that “Tribal nations, Nobel Peace laureates, former law enforcement officials (including the former U.S. attorney whose office oversaw Mr. Peltier’s prosecution and appeal), dozens of lawmakers, and human rights organizations strongly support granting Mr. Peltier clemency, citing his advanced age, illnesses, his close ties to and leadership in the Native American community and the substantial length of time he has already spent in prison.”
The president also pardoned two Democratic politicians, Ernest William Cromartie, a former city councilman in South Carolina, and Gerald G. Lundergan, a state legislator from Kentucky.
In a shocking move, President Biden has granted pardons to five members of his own family in the final minutes of his presidency. The pardons, which were announced just before Biden left office, have sparked controversy and raised questions about abuse of power.
Among those pardoned were Biden’s son Hunter Biden, who has faced scrutiny for his business dealings in Ukraine and China, and his brother James Biden, who has been accused of using his family connections for personal gain. Additionally, Biden’s niece, nephew, and son-in-law were also granted clemency.
Critics have condemned the pardons as a blatant abuse of power and a betrayal of the public trust. They argue that Biden should not be using his presidential authority to shield his own family members from legal consequences.
Supporters of the pardons argue that Biden’s family members have been unfairly targeted by political opponents and the media, and that the pardons are a necessary step to protect them from further harm.
Regardless of where you stand on the issue, there is no denying that Biden’s pardons have added another layer of controversy to an already tumultuous presidency. Only time will tell how history will judge this last-minute decision.
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President Biden pardons family members
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Pardons granted by President Biden to his family members
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In a recent interview, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy discussed the possibility of President Trump running for a second term in 2024. McCarthy expressed his support for Trump, stating that he believes the former president would be a strong candidate if he chose to run again.
When asked about President Biden’s recent pardons, McCarthy criticized the decisions, calling them “reckless” and “politically motivated.” He expressed concerns about the individuals who were granted clemency, suggesting that some of them may pose a danger to society.
McCarthy’s comments highlight the ongoing political divisions in the United States, with Republicans and Democrats continuing to clash over issues such as presidential pardons and potential future election outcomes. As the 2024 election approaches, it is likely that these disagreements will only intensify.
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Kevin McCarthy, Trump’s second term, Biden’s pardons, Republican Party, politics, US president, political news, conservative leader
The pardons for Officer Terence Sutton and Lt. Andrew Zabavsky were posted Wednesday evening on the White House website. Both men were sentenced to prison by a federal judge last year but were allowed to remain free on bond pending appeal.
Trump had signaled earlier in the week the pardons were coming. Speaking to reporters at the White House during a press event Tuesday about AI-related infrastructure investments, Trump was asked if his decision to pardon, commute or dismiss the cases of more than 1,500 Jan. 6 defendants sent the message that it was OK to assault police.
“No, the opposite. In fact, I’m going to be letting two officers from Washington police D.C., I believe they’re from D.C., but I just approved it,” Trump said. “They were arrested, put in jail for five years, because they went after an illegal and I guess something happened where something went wrong and they arrested the two officers and put them in jail for going after a criminal. A rough criminal, by the way. And I’m actually releasing… no I’m the friend, I am the friend of police more than any president who’s ever been in this office.”
Trump’s decision to pardon the two officers drew immediate and mixed reaction Wednesday night.
On the social media site Bluesky, D.C. Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George, whose district includes the Brightwood Park neighborhood where the crash occurred, said she was “devastated” by the news.
“The officers convicted in this case were found guilty of second-degree murder, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice by a unanimous jury of their peers,” George wrote. “The decision to potentially pardon their crimes puts political agenda above the integrity of our justice system and deepens the wounds of our community. Decisions like this make our communities less safe and send a dangerous message that justice can be undermined.”
My statement on the potential pardoning of the MPD officers convicted in the death of Karon Hylton-Brown:
The DC Police Union, which earlier this week described Trump’s decision to pardon Jan. 6 defendants convicted of assaulting officers as a “disappointment,” immediately hailed the pardons of Sutton and Zabavsky on social media.
“Officer Sutton was wrongly charged by corrupt prosecutors for doing his job,” the union wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “This action rights an incredible wrong that not only harmed Officer Sutton, but also crippled the ability for the department to function.”
Throughout the case, Sutton’s attorneys argued a judge had wrongly barred them from showing a jury evidence of Hylton-Brown’s alleged affiliation with the Kennedy Street Crew gang. On Wednesday, attorney Kellen S. Dwyer, a partner at the law firm Alston & Bird who has been representing Sutton in his appeal, told WUSA9 on Wednesday Trump’s pardon fixed that error:
“Today, President Trump corrected a grave injustice. Officer Sutton was charged with murder because he followed a suspect who fled a lawful police stop and was struck by a third-party vehicle. Sutton was acting on reporting from a fellow officer that the suspect had gotten into an altercation with another suspected gang member earlier that day and appeared to be driving around ‘looking for someone.’ Yet, at trial, Sutton was not allowed to even argue that his actions were authorized and justified by his duty to enforce the law. And the trial judge excluded the suspect’s criminal history (which included 21 prior arrests, including for gun possession, armed-robbery, and drug-dealing), his gang affiliation, and the fact that he had $3,128 taped to his legs at the time of the accident. Most egregiously, the prosecutor weaponized this ruling by falsely telling the jury that the suspect ‘wasn’t doing a damn thing wrong’ and that Sutton chased him ‘for simply minding his own business.’ While we are confident that the D.C. Circuit would have reversed this conviction, we are thrilled that President Trump ended this prosecution once and for all.”
Christopher Zampogna, who represented Zabavsky at trial and in his appeal, sent WUSA9 a brief statement Wednesday night saying the officer thanked Trump for the pardon.
Sutton, 40, was sentenced to five years in prison in September 2024 nearly two years after a jury found he’d recklessly chased Hylton-Brown through the Brightwood Park neighborhood and attempted to cover up the fatal crash that followed. Hylton-Brown was killed in 2020 when he pulled his electric moped into oncoming traffic while fleeing from Sutton, who had attempted to stop him for riding on the sidewalk and without a helmet. The chase lasted for three minutes across 10 city blocks – with Sutton at times going the wrong way on city streets and accelerating to twice the residential speed limit. The pursuit violated the department’s policy, which prohibited officers from chasing suspects for minor traffic offenses.
Zabavsky, who was not charged with murder, was convicted of attempting to help Sutton cover up the crash and was sentenced in September 2024 to four years in prison.
The sentences, which were far below what prosecutors had sought, enraged Hylton-Brown’s mother, Karen Hylton.
“How can you not put value on my child’s life?” Hylton told WUSA9 outside of court following the sentencing, adding that the judge “sat there, he scold[ed] them, he knew they were wrong.”
“If this was reversed, if this was a Black man, he would’ve — he would’ve been locked up,” Hylton said.
Hylton-Brown’s death, which came just months after the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers, sparked days of protests outside the DC Police Department’s Fourth District headquarters and ultimately launched a federal civil rights investigation. The eventual criminal case filed by federal prosecutors marked the first time a DC Police officer was charged with murder in the department’s history.
From the moment the case was filed, the U.S. Attorney’s Office faced criticism from rank-and-file officers and law enforcement leaders about the unprecedented decision to charge an officer with murder where no physical contact was made and no force was used. For two days prior to his sentencing, Sutton’s attorneys called dozens of current and former officers to testify on his behalf. Among them was former DC Police Chief Peter Newsham, now chief in Prince William County, Virginia, who said police officials around the country had told him they were “dumbfounded” by the case. Newsham, who was chief in D.C. during the civil unrest following George Floyd’s death, said he believed the case was politically motivated.
“It is my opinion that had this case not occurred on the heels of the George Floyd murder, these officers would not be facing decades of jail time,” Newsham said.
Federal prosecutors sought 18 years in prison for Sutton and repeatedly pushed back on the outpouring of criticism from law enforcement, saying it only showed the heightened need for deterrence. But they were ultimately unable to convince the judge who presided over the case. U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman described the guidelines range Sutton faced as “ridiculous” and sentenced him to 5.5 years in prison – less than a third of the time the U.S. Attorney’s Office sought.
Attempts to reach Hylton-Brown’s mother for comment Wednesday were unsuccessful.
In a shocking turn of events, President Trump has granted full pardons to the DC police officers who were convicted in the deadly chase that resulted in the tragic death of an innocent bystander.
The pardon comes as a surprise to many, as the officers were found guilty of excessive force and misconduct during the high-speed pursuit through the streets of Washington, DC. The incident, which was caught on camera and sparked outrage across the country, led to calls for justice and accountability.
But now, with the stroke of a pen, President Trump has wiped away the convictions of these officers, citing their dedication to protecting and serving their community. Many are questioning the decision, wondering if this is a sign of the President’s unwavering support for law enforcement, or if it is simply a political move to gain favor with the police unions.
The families of the victims are left reeling, feeling as though justice has once again been denied to their loved ones. The community is left divided, with some praising the President for his actions, while others condemn him for ignoring the cries for justice.
As the pardons are finalized and the officers are released from prison, the debate rages on about the role of law enforcement in society and the need for accountability and transparency. Only time will tell what impact this decision will have on the relationship between law enforcement and the communities they are sworn to protect.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s decision to pardon virtually every person charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was made at the last minute as the inauguration approached — and it surprised some of his supporters and aides.
“He is who he is,” a person who worked on Trump’s transition team told NBC News. “Expectations are sometimes set as best as can be expected, and sometimes they change quickly.”
Two officials who worked on Trump’s transition said the decision to do a sweeping pardon was made just days before the inauguration. They, like others interviewed for this article, were granted anonymity to share details of private discussions.
While Trump had long promised pardons for many, if not most, of those convicted of nonviolent crimes on Jan. 6, he had been less clear about how he would handle those found guilty of violent offenses, including 169 people who pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers.
Trump decided to go about as far as he could, issuing roughly 1,500 pardons and commuting the sentences for 14 others.
The pardons surprised many in large part because Trump and Vice President JD Vance had signaled recently that the president would take a more surgical approach.
“I don’t know what the staff work was like on that,” former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., a Trump ally who attended Monday’s inauguration, said in an interview.
Drawing a line that would have denied pardons to people who attacked police “is a more defensible position and easier to support,” Gingrich added. “You have to wonder whether you really want to put people back on the street who haven’t paid their dues for having done those things.”
The White House did not return requests for comment.
President Donald Trump spoke to supporters at a rally before some of them stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.Brendan Smialowski / AFP – Getty Images file
Trump defended his decision at a news conference Tuesday evening. Asked by NBC News about his pardon of a man who plunged a stun gun into the neck of a police officer during the attack, Trump at first was unsure whether he had pardoned or commuted his sentence.
When told it was a pardon, the president replied: “We’ll take a look at everything. But I can say this, murderers today are not even charged. You have murders that aren’t charged all over.”
“These people have already served years in prison and they’ve served them viciously,” he added. “It’s a disgusting prison. It’s been horrible. It’s inhumane. It’s been a terrible, terrible thing.”
Trump made freeing Jan. 6 participants a central campaign promise last year, referring to the prisoners as “hostages” and playing at his rallies a song performed by inmates known as the J6 Choir. But Trump and his campaign team also at times promised nuance in how he determined who would be eligible for pardons, indicating that violence could be a deal-breaker.
In an interview in December with NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Trump reiterated that he wanted to do pardons on Day 1, but there “may be some exceptions” to then “if somebody was radical, crazy.”
“I’m going to do case-by-case, and if they were non-violent, I think they’ve been greatly punished,” Trump told “Time” magazine in another interview that month. “And the answer is I will be doing that, yeah, I’m going to look if there’s some that really were out of control.”
Vance was more direct in a Jan. 12 interview on “Fox News Sunday,” saying, “If you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned.” On Tuesday, Vance’s press secretary Taylor Van Kirk said the case-by-case basis that Trump and Vance had talked about “meant there was always going to be a large degree of gray area” in how the pardons were executed.
“Due to the corrupt process of these prosecutions, President Trump rightly decided to grant a broad pardon to all wrongfully convicted of January 6 protesters,” Van Kirk wrote to NBC News.
Referring to former President Joe Biden’s last-minute pardons before leaving office Monday, Van Kirk added that “the outgoing administration’s application of presidential pardons for members of the Biden family are far more deserving of additional media scrutiny.”
A Republican close to the Trump administration who has spoken to Vance about the issue pointed to the vice president’s long public stance in support of Jan. 6 defendants, noting that he helped raise money for them and their families as a Senate candidate in 2022.
“His support for these people dates back at least two-and-a-half years,” this person said. “I don’t think anything switched up. He’s been pretty clear there’s a gray area, but he’s also always from the beginning been pushing for mass commutations.”
Once Trump’s decision was made for “leniency,” one of the transition officials told NBC News, the entire nascent administration, including Vance, quickly got on the same page. Behind the scenes, Vance pushed for broad pardons and commutations, another person familiar with his role said.
“Everyone has been clear that we were looking at all the cases and the ultimate decision, which the Vice President ended up being a driving force behind, was more encompassing action,” the second transition official wrote to NBC News. “The President ended up airing on leniency given how political and broken the process was.”
Alex Bruesewitz, a GOP political consultant with close ties to Trump world who was subpoenaed to testify before the House’s Jan. 6th committee, said there was little doubt Trump would take sweeping action early in his term.
“It was the right thing to do,” he said. “Some on the left may disagree, but the process was the punishment.”
The move was also overwhelmingly backed by Trump’s MAGA political base, many of whom descended on Washington over the past few days for his inauguration.
Brett Thomas, 52, said he had “tears coming out of my eyes” when he attended Trump’s rally at Capital One Arena Monday and heard the president say he would pardon the Jan. 6 defendants.
Thomas, the president of Rhino Web Studios in New Orleans, was at Capitol on Jan. 6, but did not go in because his wife called him and told him to go back to his hotel, he said.
Although he supported Trump’s decision, he said he does see a difference between people who walked into the Capitol and those who fought with the cops on that day. Still, he believes they all had been punished enough.
“If there is proof that you assaulted a police officer, there needs to be consequences,” Thomas said. “Not, if they have been sitting in jail for years, that’s their consequence. And as far as I am concerned, time served.”
Trump pardoned roughly 1,500 of his supporters who were charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack.Bill Clark / CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images file
Mike Davis, a Trump ally and legal adviser who had publicly lobbied the president to go big on pardons, said for Trump, he felt something of a kindred spirit with his supporters who were Jan. 6 prisoners because he had also been prosecuted by the government.
“Trump has been on the receiving end of Joe Biden’s politicized and weaponized justice department,” he said. “But Trump is a billionaire former and future president who had the resources to weather it. These Jan. 6th defendants do not.”
Davis also said that Biden’s own pardons on his way out of office — which included members of his family and commuted the death sentences of 37 federal inmates on death row to life in prison, gave Trump any political cover he might need to use the pardon power as he saw fit.
“Joe Biden pardoned his family,” Davis said. “He freed child rapists and murderers from death row, and he pardoned a monster who murdered two FBI agents,” Davis said, referring to Native American activist Leonard Peltier, who has long maintained his innocence and had his life sentence commuted. “I don’t want to see Democrats’ fake tears about Trump’s pardons.”
“They can go to hell,” he added.
The Trump decision, though, is not without tense criticism. Michael Fanone, the former police officer who had the stun gun driven into his neck and was among those badly injured during the Jan. 6 attacks, told NBC News the pardons were “outrageous” but “shouldn’t come as a surprise to any American.”
“The rule of law is dead in this country. We are now in the age of government lawlessness,” Fanone said.
Fanone suffered a heart attack and traumatic brain injury as a result of the attack and was among the officers who testified before the House select committee tasked with investigating the Jan. 6 attack. Biden also issued pre-emptive pardons to committee members, which include current and former members of Congress, out of fear Trump would try to go after them when he returned to office.
Current and former prosecutors also sharply criticized Trump’s pardons, with one person who worked on the Jan. 6 cases calling them “appalling.”
While some Republican lawmakers cheered Trump’s actions, a number of Republican senators were less enthusiastic, outright saying they disagreed or simply refusing to embrace them.
“I just can’t agree,” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. — who was photographed pumping his fist at Trump supporters before they stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 — said he would not have pardoned people who committed violent offenses but noted that Trump “keeps his campaign promises.”
On his last full day in office, President Donald Trump made the controversial decision to grant pardons to a staggering 143 individuals, including his former chief strategist Steve Bannon and rapper Lil Wayne. Among those pardoned were also several individuals involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, which was incited by Trump himself.
The decision to pardon individuals involved in the insurrection came as a surprise to many, as Trump had previously condemned the violent attack on the Capitol. However, it appears that the pardons were a last-minute decision made by Trump in the final hours of his presidency.
Critics have slammed Trump for pardoning individuals who participated in an attack on democracy, while supporters argue that the pardons were a way for Trump to reward his loyal allies and supporters. Regardless of the reasoning behind the pardons, they are sure to have lasting implications and further divide an already polarized nation.
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Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.
In today’s edition, we break down how members of his party are reacting to his sweeping pardons of Jan. 6 defendants. Plus, Steve Kornacki takes a historical look at the position JD Vance now finds himself in: the vice president to a president who can’t seek another term.
— Adam Wollner
Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons split the GOP
Of all the executive orders President Donald Trump signed on his first day in office, the one that reverberated the most across Washington was his move to pardon Jan. 6 rioters.
With the stroke of a pen, Trump issued pardons to roughly 1,500 criminal defendants and commuted the sentences of 14 others in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. He also ordered the dismissals of hundreds of cases that were still being prosecuted.
As Scott Wong, Frank Thorp V, Kate Santaliz and Katie Taylor report, the Jan. 6 pardons drew pushback from a handful of Republican senators. They quickly found themselves back in the spot they were often in a few years ago: responding to Trump’s latest action or comment.
The reactions generally fell into four camps.
There those who were outwardly critical of the Jan. 6 pardons, particularly for people who were convicted of committing violence against police officers. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said she was “disappointed” by Trump’s move and worried about the message it sent to the officers who defended the Capitol that day.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said “I just can’t agree” with Trump’s pardons.
There were those who did not vocally criticize Trump but declined to support the decision. “The president made that decision. You’ll have to ask him. I will not defend it,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said that if he were president he would not have offered pardons to people who committed violence on Jan. 6, but he added that Trump followed through on his campaign promise.
There were those who brushed aside the questions and tried to turn the focus to Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his family in his last minutes as president.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he is “looking forward to the next four years, not the last four,” when he was pressed about Trump’s decision.
“Would you guys ask the same questions of Biden?” Thune said when he was asked what message it sends to officers who were attacked that day.
And then there were those who celebrated the pardons. Some members of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, such as Reps. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., and Chip Roy, R-Texas, went to a Washington jail where Jan. 6 inmates were being released.
What Trump is saying: He defended the Jan. 6 pardons during a news conference Tuesday, Katherine Doyle reports.
“They’ve served years in jail,” Trump said in response to questions from reporters at the White House on why he pardoned violent offenders. “They should not have served, and they’ve served years in jail. And murderers don’t even go to jail in this country.”
What current and former prosecutors are saying: People in the Justice Department and legal scholars are calling the move an unprecedented and dangerous use of the pardon power that dealt a crushing blow not just to federal law enforcement, but to the U.S. justice system, as Ken Dilanian and Ryan J. Reilly report.
“I don’t think that’s OK,” Jason Manning, who spent years as a line prosecutor working on Jan. 6 cases in Washington, told NBC News in an exclusive interview. “I find the pardons appalling.”
What to know from Day 2 of the Trump presidency
Beyond the fallout from the Jan. 6 pardons, Day 2 of Trump’s tenure again brought a flurry of news. Here are the top lines:
Trump announced a joint venture with OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank to invest billions of dollars in artificial intelligence infrastructure in the United States.
Trump met with congressional Republicans at the White House, where they discussed their legislative strategy and the possibility of using recess appointments to confirm Cabinet nominees.
Democratic attorneys general filed lawsuits seeking to block Trump’s attempt to revoke the right to automatic birthright citizenship. It’s one of several executive actions that are likely to face pushback from the courts.
The Department of Homeland Security announced it is rescinding the restrictions that kept Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from conducting arrests in “sensitive locations,” such as schools, churches or day care centers, even during weddings or funerals, as NBC News reported the new administration had planned.
The Trump administration fired four top officials at the Justice Department’s Executive Office of Immigration Review, which oversees U.S. immigration courts.
The bishop leading the inaugural prayer service Tuesday urged Trump to “have mercy” on his constituents, specifically naming LGBTQ people and immigrants.
Vance takes on a unique role as a second-term VP
When he was sworn in Monday, JD Vance instantly assumed a unique perch on the political stage: as the vice president to a term-limited president.
Rather than waiting eight years (and spending the next four promoting his boss’ re-election efforts), Vance enters office with the 2028 Republican presidential nomination wide open. It’s a position that six previous vice presidents have enjoyed since the enactment of the 22nd Amendment, which capped presidential service at two terms.
All but one of those six nursed presidential ambitions of their own, though only three actually managed to secure their party’s next nomination — with just one, George H.W. Bush in 1988, winning the presidency.
The two most recent VPs in Vance’s position both declined to run. In Dick Cheney’s case, there was no drama; he forswore any presidential ambitions in exchange for an enormously influential role in George W. Bush’s administration. In 2016, Joe Biden made his desire to run clear but relented in the face of some unsubtle discouragement from Barack Obama and other Democratic leaders.
And way back in 1952, Alben Barkley, who’d been picked as Harry Truman’s running mate in 1948 (three years after Truman had assumed office), angled for the Democratic nomination at a time when convention deal-making — and not the primary process — was decisive. But concerns about his age, 74, led delegates to look elsewhere.
The three vice presidents other on the list came to office with obvious ambitions. Both Richard Nixon in 1960 and Al Gore in 2000 had served in popular administrations and enjoyed strong relationships with party leaders, who helped to clear the way for them. George H.W. Bush in 1988 was also part of a popular administration, but while he was ultimately successful, his path to the GOP nomination was trickier. He had run against Ronald Reagan in the 1980 primaries and spent his vice presidency trying to persuade skeptical conservatives that he was no longer the moderate he’d positioned himself as in that campaign.
There’s no reason to believe Vance isn’t also interested in becoming his party’s next standard-bearer. And he starts off in a seemingly solid position. He is a skillful communicator, and his performance during the campaign was well-received within the GOP. More important, he’s a Trump loyalist with personal ties to the president’s sons. And Trump himself seems to have a fondness for Vance that he never expressed toward Mike Pence, his previous VP.
Given the unparalleled sway Trump holds with Republicans, a seamless, Trump-blessed elevation of Vance to the top of the 2028 GOP ticket is conceivable. Also conceivable: that at some point in the next four years, Vance will look up and find his path irrevocably blocked by a shift in Trump’s view of him.
Today’s other top stories
First to NBC News: Senators received an affidavit from the former sister-in-law of defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth in which she says his behavior caused his second wife to fear for her safety. Read more →
No dice: A federal judge barred the Justice Department from sharing former special counsel Jack Smith’s final report on the classified documents case against Trump with members of Congress. Read more →
Abortion politics: Doug Collins, Trump’s pick for veterans affairs secretary, said at his confirmation hearing that he plans to review a Biden-era policy that has provided veterans with access to abortion care and counseling, including in states with abortion restrictions. Read more →
In the Metaverse: Meta is pushing back against claims that it boosted Trump and his administration on its platforms as he returned to the Oval Office. Read more →
Beware of DOGE: James Fishback, an investment firm CEO who is an outside adviser to the Department of Government Efficiency, said he’s tossing his hat in the ring to fill the void left by Vivek Ramaswamy’s departure. Read more →
That’s all From the Politics Desk for now. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner and Faith Wardwell.
And if you’re a fan, please share with everyone and anyone. They can sign up here.
On January 6, former President Donald Trump issued a series of controversial pardons that have left the GOP divided. The pardons, which included individuals involved in the Capitol insurrection on January 6, have sparked heated debate within the party.
While some Republicans have defended Trump’s decision to grant clemency to those convicted in connection with the riot, others have condemned the move as a betrayal of the party’s values. The rift has exposed deep divisions within the GOP, with some calling for a more moderate approach to political issues and others doubling down on their support for Trump.
The fallout from Trump’s pardons is likely to have long-lasting implications for the party, as members grapple with how to navigate the increasingly fractured political landscape. Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story from the Politics Desk.
Republicans are taking on the recipients of President Joe Biden’s preemptive pardons, issued on the same day he will leave office. Among those targeted is Rep. Jamie Raskin, who was part of the House committee that investigated President-elect Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
In that context, Republicans in the House Oversight Committee brought back a clip from Raskin saying that “the seeking of pardons is powerful demonstration of the consciousness of guilt, or at least the consciousness that you may be in trouble.” It is unclear whether Raskin actively sought a pardon from Biden.
Lyin’ Hypocrite Jamie Raskin got a pardon for his role in the sham January 6 Committee.
Here’s what Raskin said in his own words about preemptive pardons: “The seeking of pardons is powerful demonstration of the consciousness of guilt, or at least the consciousness that you may… pic.twitter.com/k0Z3Ol2i9U
Biden himself had said in 2020 that the concept of preemptive pardons “concerned” him “in terms of what kind of precedent sets and how the rest of the world looks at us as a nation of laws and justice. You’re not going to see in our administration that kind of approach to pardons,” he told CNN back then.
The outgoing president justified his decision by saying that the recipients have “been subjected to ongoing threats and intimidation for faithfully discharging their duties.”
“I believe in the rule of law, and I am optimistic that the strength of our legal institutions will ultimately prevail over politics. But these are exceptional circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do nothing. 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 in fact have done the right thing—and will ultimately be exonerated, the mere fact of being investigated or prosecuted can irreparably damage reputations and finances,” Biden added during a passage of his statement.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former head of the NIH, thanked Biden for the preemptive pardon but emphasized that he has not committed any crimes.
“I really truly appreciate the action President Biden has taken today on my behalf. Let me be perfectly clear, Jon, I have committed no crime, you know that, and there are no possible grounds for any allegation or threat of criminal investigation or prosecution of me,” Fauci told ABC News journalist Jonathan Karl.
He went on to say that he is grateful because the chance that he would indeed be investigated under the Trump administration would have created “immeasurable and intolerable distress on me and my family.”
In a shocking turn of events, Democrat Jamie Raskin’s past comments about preemptive pardons have come back to haunt him. Raskin, who has been a vocal critic of President Trump’s use of pardons, is now facing scrutiny for his own remarks on the subject.
In a 2016 interview, Raskin expressed support for the idea of preemptive pardons, stating that they could be a useful tool for preventing political prosecutions. However, now that Raskin’s own actions are under scrutiny, his past comments are being used against him by his political opponents.
Critics are accusing Raskin of hypocrisy, pointing out that he is now singing a different tune when it comes to preemptive pardons. Some are calling for Raskin to resign or face consequences for his previous statements.
Raskin has not yet responded to the controversy, but it remains to be seen how he will address the issue moving forward. Stay tuned for updates on this developing story.
James Biden and Valerie Biden Owens arrive at the federal court for Hunter Biden’s trial on criminal gun charges, in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., June 10, 2024.
Hannah Beier | Reuters
President Joe Biden on Monday issued preemptive pardons for several family members, citing concerns that they will be targeted by “baseless and politically motivated investigations.”
Biden pardoned his brother, James Biden; James’ wife, Sara Jones Biden; his younger sister, Valerie Biden Owens; Owens’ husband, John Owens; and his other brother, Francis 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,” Biden said in a press release.
This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.
In a shocking turn of events, President Biden has used his final minutes in office to issue a series of pardons to his family members. In a move that has left many people questioning his motives, Biden has granted clemency to his son, daughter, and several other close relatives.
Critics are calling this a blatant abuse of power and an example of nepotism at its worst. Many are outraged that Biden would prioritize his family over the millions of Americans who are still awaiting justice.
It remains to be seen how this controversial decision will impact Biden’s legacy and how the American public will react to this news. Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story.
President Biden moved just hours before leaving office on Monday to guard some of President-elect Donald J. Trump’s most high-profile adversaries against a promised campaign of “retribution” by issuing pre-emptive pardons to head off politically driven prosecutions.
Among those receiving the pardons were Gen. Mark A. Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the longtime government scientist; and all the members of the bipartisan House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, including former Representative Liz Cheney, a Republican from Wyoming.
“I believe in the rule of law, and I am optimistic that the strength of our legal institutions will ultimately prevail over politics,” Mr. Biden said in a statement. “But these are exceptional circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do nothing. 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 in fact have done the right thing — and will ultimately be exonerated, the mere fact of being investigated or prosecuted can irreparably damage reputations and finances,” he added.
In issuing the pre-emptive pardons, Mr. Biden effectively turned the president’s constitutional power of forgiveness into a protective shield against what he maintains would be politically motivated vengeance. No other president has employed executive clemency in such a broad and overt way to thwart a successor he believes would abuse his power.
His action offered a dramatic testament to how radically power will shift in Washington at noon when Mr. Trump takes the oath to succeed Mr. Biden. In the morning, the outgoing president used his pardon authority to protect those who investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. In the afternoon, the incoming president has said he will pardon many of those who mounted the attack.
“Innocent people are being pardoned in the morning, and guilty people are being pardoned in the afternoon,” Representative Jamie Raskin, Democrat of Maryland, and a member of the Jan. 6 committee, said in an interview. “It is strange to receive a pardon simply for doing your job and upholding your constitutional oath of office. But the incoming administration has been consistently leveling threats.”
Mr. Biden emphasized that he did not issue the pardons because any of the recipients actually committed crimes. “The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense,” he said.
Throughout his campaign last year, Mr. Trump threatened to prosecute Democrats, election workers, law enforcement officials, intelligence officials, reporters, former members of his own staff and Republicans who do not support him, often without identifying any specific criminal activity.
General Milley, Ms. Cheney and Dr. Fauci were among those singled out by name by Mr. Trump and his allies. Mr. Biden also extended pardons on Monday to the entire staff of the Jan. 6 investigating committee as well as to the Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Department officers who testified during the inquiry.
Ms. Cheney did not immediately react to the pardons, but General Milley and Dr. Fauci publicly thanked Mr. Biden.
“After forty-three years of faithful service in uniform to our Nation, protecting and defending the Constitution, I do not wish to spend whatever remaining time the Lord grants me fighting those who unjustly might seek retribution for perceived slights,” General Milley said in a statement. “I do not want to put my family, my friends, and those with whom I served through the resulting distraction, expense, and anxiety.”
Dr. Fauci likewise pointed to his long career in public service and noted that he had been the subject of politically motivated threats of prosecution. “There is absolutely no basis for these threats,” he said in his own statement. “Let me be perfectly clear: I have committed no crime and there are no possible grounds for any allegation or threat of criminal investigation or prosecution of me.
“The fact is, however, that the mere articulation of these baseless threats, and the potential that they will be acted upon, create immeasurable and intolerable distress for me and my family,” he added.
Not everyone targeted by Mr. Trump welcomed pardons, arguing that accepting them would give the impression that they had done something wrong.
“As soon as you take a pardon, it looks like you are guilty of something,” former Representative Adam Kinzinger, Republican of Illinois who served on the Jan. 6 committee along with Ms. Cheney, said on CNN this month.
“I am guilty of nothing besides bringing the truth to the American people and, in the process, embarrassing Donald Trump. Because for 187 minutes, he sat there and did absolutely nothing and showed how weak and scared he truly was,” he added, referring to the former president’s inaction during the attack on Jan. 6. “So no, I don’t want it.”
Others said it would be an inappropriate use of the pardon power. “It would be the wrong precedent to set,” Senator Adam B. Schiff, Democrat of California, who led the prosecution during Mr. Trump’s first impeachment trial and also served on the Jan. 6 committee, said on CNN this month. “I don’t want to see each president hereafter on their way out the door giving a broad category of pardons to members of their administration.”
But since the pardon for the committee members was issued to a category of people rather than to named individuals, it did not require recipients to accept them. The committee members issued a statement in the name of their chairman, Representative Bennie G. Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi, thanking Mr. Biden. “We have been pardoned today not for breaking the law but for upholding it,” Thompson said.
Michael Fanone, one of the police officers covered by the pardon, said he did not want a pardon and never spoke with anyone from the White House about it, but expressed anger and dismay at the fact that Mr. Biden felt compelled to grant him clemency.
Mr. Fanone, who engaged in hand-to-hand combat with rioters on Jan. 6, said it was “insane that we live in a country where the president of the United States feels the need to offer a pre-emptive pardon to American citizens who testified in an investigation regarding an insurrection which was incited by the incoming president because he’s promised to enact, or exact, vengeance on those participants and the body that investigated them.”
Lawyers for Harry Dunn and Aquilino Gonnell, two police witnesses who have been outspoken about the Jan. 6 attack, said the pardons for them “were never sought, nor was there any consultation with the White House.”
Their lawyers, Mark S. Zaid and David H. Laufman, called it “disturbing” that the “continuing threats and attacks by the extreme right, along with the rewriting of the truth surrounding that day’s events, sadly justifies the decision.”
Mr. Biden’s use of the pardon power to immunize people who have not even come under investigation, much less been charged or convicted of a crime, has no clear precedent. But some legal scholars have said that he is within the boundaries of his authority. The closest precedent might be President Gerald R. Ford’s pardon of his disgraced predecessor, Richard M. Nixon, in 1974 even though he had not been charged with any crimes.
But Mr. Nixon faced a real threat of prosecution from a special counsel investigating the Watergate scandal that forced his resignation, and Mr. Ford was not acting to thwart a future president the way Mr. Biden is.
Dr. Fauci, who served in government for half a century and as the nation’s top infectious disease expert for 38 years under multiple presidents of both parties, was targeted by Mr. Trump’s far-right allies for his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Stephen K. Bannon, Mr. Trump’s former strategist, has said that Dr. Fauci, General Milley and others should be prosecuted. “You deserve what we call a rough Roman justice, and we’re prepared to give it to you,” Mr. Bannon said on election night.
In addition to Ms. Cheney, Mr. Kinzinger, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Raskin and Mr. Thompson, other members of the Jan. 6 investigating committee covered by Mr. Biden’s pardon include Representatives Zoe Lofgren and Pete Aguilar of California and former Representatives Stephanie Murphy of Florida and Elaine Luria of Virginia, all Democrats.
Mr. Biden’s pardons did not extend to a variety of other potential Trump targets, including the federal and state prosecutors who indicted the incoming president for trying to overturn the 2020 election, mishandling classified documents and covering up hush money payment to an adult film star who claimed she had a fling with Mr. Trump.
Three of the four criminal indictments against him have now been dismissed or effectively thwarted by his election back to the presidency, but Mr. Trump’s conviction on 34 felonies from the hush money case stands, making him the first felon ever inaugurated as president.
Helene Cooper, Michael S. Schmidt, Devlin Barrett and Luke Broadwater contributed reporting.
In a shocking move during his final hours in office, President Joe Biden has issued a series of controversial pardons to key figures in the political and military spheres. Among those pardoned are former Vice President Dick Cheney, top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley.
The decision to pardon Cheney, Fauci, and Milley has sparked outrage and speculation among political commentators and the public alike. Some see it as a last-minute attempt by Biden to protect these individuals from potential reprisals from the incoming administration, while others view it as a strategic move to maintain stability and continuity in key positions.
Cheney, a polarizing figure known for his role in the Iraq War and controversial policies, has been a target of criticism and legal scrutiny for years. Fauci, on the other hand, has been a leading voice in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and has faced backlash from some quarters for his handling of the crisis. Milley, as the country’s top military officer, has been at the center of debates over national security and civil-military relations.
While the pardons have been met with mixed reactions, one thing is certain: they will have far-reaching implications for the future of American politics and the continued influence of these powerful figures. Only time will tell how these pardons will be remembered in the annals of history.
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Biden pardons Cheney, Fauci, Milley, final hours, thwart reprisals, presidential pardons, political news
Washington — President Biden announced Friday that he was commuting the sentences of almost 2,500 people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses, using his final days in office on a flurry of clemency actions meant to nullify prison terms he deemed too harsh.
The recent round of clemency gives Mr. Biden the presidential record for most individual pardons and commutations issued. The Democrat said he’s seeking to undo “disproportionately long sentences compared to the sentences they would receive today under current law, policy, and practice.”
“Today’s clemency action provides relief for individuals who received lengthy sentences based on discredited distinctions between crack and powder cocaine, as well as outdated sentencing enhancements for drug crimes,” Mr. Biden said in a statement. “This action is an important step toward righting historic wrongs, correcting sentencing disparities, and providing deserving individuals the opportunity to return to their families and communities after spending far too much time behind bars.”
The White House didn’t immediately release the names of those receiving commutations.
Still, Mr. Biden said more could yet be coming, promising to use the time before President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated Monday to “continue to review additional commutations and pardons.”
Friday’s action follows Mr. Biden’s commutations last month of the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the pardoning of 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes. That was the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history.
All of this comes as Mr. Biden continues to weigh whether to issue sweeping pardons for officials and allies who the White House fears could be unjustly targeted by Trump’s administration. Though presidential pardoning powers are absolute, such a preemptive move would be a novel and risky use of the president’s extraordinary constitutional power.
Last month, he also commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment just weeks before Trump, an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes office. Trump has vowed to roll back that order after his term begins.
Mr. Biden also recently pardoned his son Hunter, not just for his convictions on federal gun and tax violations but for any potential federal offense committed over an 11-year period, as the president feared Trump allies would seek to prosecute his son for other offenses.
If history is any guide, meanwhile, Mr. Biden also is likely to issue more targeted pardons to help allies before leaving the White House, as presidents typically do in some of their final actions.
Just before midnight on the final night of his first term, Trump, a Republican, signed a flurry of pardons and commutations for more than 140 people, including his former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black and former members of Congress.
Trump’s final act as president in his first term was to announce a pardon for Al Pirro, ex-husband of Fox News Channel host Jeanine Pirro, one of his staunchest defenders. Al Pirro was convicted of conspiracy and tax evasion charges and sentenced to more than two years in prison in 2000.
In a historic move, President Biden has set a new record for presidential pardons and commutations by commuting almost 2,500 additional sentences. This marks a significant step towards criminal justice reform and providing second chances to those who have paid their debt to society.
Biden’s commitment to addressing the inequities in the criminal justice system is evident in his actions, as he continues to prioritize clemency for individuals who have been disproportionately affected by harsh sentencing laws. By granting these commutations, President Biden is giving hope to thousands of individuals who have been incarcerated for nonviolent offenses and are deserving of a second chance.
This latest round of commutations underscores the administration’s dedication to promoting fairness and equity in the criminal justice system. As President Biden continues to use his executive powers to grant clemency, he is sending a powerful message about the importance of rehabilitation and redemption.
The impact of these commutations will be felt far and wide, as individuals are given the opportunity to rebuild their lives and contribute positively to their communities. President Biden’s record-setting actions on pardons and commutations are a testament to his commitment to creating a more just and compassionate society.
