On Friday, three days before the end of his presidency, President Joe Biden set a new record for the most pardons, clemencies, and commuted sentences ever granted by a president.
He commuted the sentences of nearly 2,500 non-violent drug offenders, whose sentences were more harsh than the sentences given today for similar offenses.
“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who received lengthy sentences based on discredited distinctions between crack and powder cocaine, as well as outdated sentencing enhancements for drug crimes,” Biden said in a statement.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 release the names of the offenders whose sentences he has commuted.
Biden has long has a lax view of illegal drugs, and seems unconcerned that the drug trade is fueled by his open border policies and involves layers of other violent crimes by criminal gangs. The Secret Service and F.B.I. still have not released a report on the packet of cocaine found in the White House near the Oval Office in July of 2023. The agencies closed the investigation a few weeks later, saying they could find no evidence, although the DNA on the package provided a “partial hit.” Critics like Sen. Ted Cruz have raised concerns about a coverup.
