Another Biden pardon backfires

Biden gave nearly 1,500 criminals an early Christmas present when he issued clemency for them on December 12, 2024. The pardons even had some in the administration livid, as the cases were clearly not vetted (this comes from a Biden DOJ attorney).

We have seen quite a few of them wind up getting arrested, the most recent being a felon who was in jail for gun and drug charges.

The pardon

Biden patted himself on the back with the announcement of the pardon, as if setting 1,500 criminals free was a good thing.

In part, the announcement stated, “Today, President Biden announced that he is granting clemency to nearly 1,500 Americans – the most ever in a single day – who have shown successful rehabilitation and a strong commitment to making their communities safer.

“The President is commuting the sentences of close to 1,500 individuals who were placed on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic and who have successfully reintegrated into their families and communities.

“He is also pardoning 39 individuals who were convicted of non-violent crimes. These actions represent the largest single-day grant of clemency in modern history.”

Early failures

The problems for Biden started almost immediately after he left office. In late January 2025, a Texas man was arrested just days after he had been set free via Biden’s jailbreak.

Dequan Willard found himself back in custody after getting out of jail for a cocaine distribution conspiracy.

Lubbock County Sheriff Kelly Rowe responded, “Say it for what it is. I mean, if you want to let some of the worst of the worst back out on the street, say it for what it is.”

Rowe later added, “I look at this in the sense that we’ve had dedicated men and women in law enforcement who are putting it all on the line. Because again, we’re talking about dangerous offenders where their activities in the course of investigation are very high risk. The point of arrest, very high risk. And to see all of that work basically washed away, all of that risk washed away because of a political decision made in Washington, D.C., only serves to make me angry about it.”

Still going on

Fast forward to October, and 31-year-old Khyre Holbert finds himself back in jail after being accused of possessing a firearm that has ties to multiple crimes.

Michael Rushford, founder and president of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, ripped Biden for the autopen scandal related to the pardons.

He stated, "I don’t think you can delegate clemency. It was never intended that a president delegate that authority. I think what we saw were clemencies being granted without the president’s direct knowledge. Why would he sign off on 31 drug dealers? Why would you sign off on a murderer?"

These are but two of the many cases we have seen where pardoned criminals quickly revert back to what got them arrested in the first place, and it is exactly why we need to seriously find a way to take this power away from the president. It is and has been abused for decades. There are better ways to do this because the way it is handled now is clearly not working.