Editing Joe Biden (section)

==== Pardons of family members and political figures====
[[File:2024-12-01 Biden pardon Hunter Biden.jpg|thumb|Pardon dated December 1, 2024]]
Biden issued more pardons for members of his family than any other president.<ref name="lastpardonnyt"/> On December 1, 2024, he issued a "full and unconditional" pardon to Hunter Biden that covered all federal offenses between 2014 and December 1, 2024. The pardon's sweeping extent was "unprecedented".<ref name=":2">{{Cite magazine |last=Soave |first=Robby |date=December 5, 2024 |title=Hunter Biden's pardon is unprecedented |url=https://reason.com/2024/12/05/hunter-bidens-pardon-is-unprecedented/?utm_medium=reason_email&utm_source=new_at_reason&utm_campaign=reason_brand&utm_content=Remy:%20Pardon%20My%20Son&utm_term=&time=December%206th,%202024&mpid=38717&mpweb=2534-5159-38717 |access-date=December 9, 2024 |magazine=Reason}}</ref> According to [[Reason (magazine)|''Reason'']] magazine, Hunter Biden's pardon was even more far-reaching than [[Richard Nixon]]'s or other "controversial"<ref name=":2" /> pardons:<blockquote>The Hunter pardon is far more comprehensive...in that it covered not just his convictions for drug-related activities and tax fraud, but ''any other criminal behavior'' since 2014—the year that Hunter joined the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma. It has been alleged that Hunter's job was essentially to trade on the family name and sell his access to dad. This may not have been illegal, but it does mean that the pardon is clearly designed to offer preemptive protection not just to Hunter, but to Joe Biden himself. These features make the pardon unprecedented, though perfectly in line with the president's executive powers.</blockquote>Hunter had been convicted on charges related to tax and gun offenses, after which Joe made numerous promises not to pardon him. He and his staff continued to say that Hunter would not be pardoned as late as November, although internal staff discussions affirmed that the option remained on the table even as Biden said otherwise.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Hubbard |first1=Kaia |last2=Freiman |first2=Jordan |date=December 1, 2024 |title=President Biden pardons son Hunter Biden |agency=CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hunter-biden-padon/ |access-date=December 2, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Samuels |first=Brett |date=December 2, 2024 |title=Joe Biden pardons his son, Hunter Biden |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5016851-biden-pardons-his-son-hunter/ |access-date=December 2, 2024 |newspaper=The Hill}}</ref><ref name="NBCpardon" /> Biden and his family finalized the decision to pardon Hunter without consulting senior staff.<ref name="nytdec2">{{Cite news |date=December 2, 2024 |title=How Biden Changed His Mind on Pardoning Hunter: 'Time to End All of This' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/02/us/politics/hunter-biden-pardon-decision.html |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> In a statement announcing the pardon, Biden said he believed his son was "selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted", blaming "political pressure" for the collapse of a plea bargain. The plea bargain actually fell apart after the presiding judge asked about its unusual construction.<ref name="White House 2024" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Morin |first=Rebecca |title=President Biden pardons his son Hunter Biden despite pledges not to |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2024/12/01/president-joe-biden-hunter-biden-pardon/76693183007/ |access-date=December 2, 2024 |newspaper=USA Today}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |first1=Katie |last1=Rogers |first2=Glenn |last2=Thrush |date=December 2, 2024 |title=Judge Scuppered Hunter Biden Plea Deal, Not Political Pressure |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/01/us/politics/biden-pardon-political-pressure.html |website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> Biden's pardon came amid incoming December sentencing dates for Hunter for his convictions and concerns about the succeeding Trump administration potentially targeting political rivals for prosecution.<ref name="nytdec2" /> Biden said, "I hope Americans will understand why a father and a president would come to this decision."<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |first1=Marshall |last1=Cohen |first2=Betsy |last2=Klein |date=December 2, 2024 |title=President Biden pardons his son Hunter Biden |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/12/01/politics/hunter-biden-joe-biden-pardon/index.html |access-date=December 2, 2024 |website=[[CNN]]}}</ref>

On his last day in office, Biden issued pardons for more of his family members and other high-profile figures.<ref name="lastpardonnyt">{{Cite news |first1=Peter |last1=Baker |first2=Michael D. |last2=Shear |authorlink2=Michael D. Shear |date=January 20, 2025 |title=Biden in Final Hours Pardons Relatives and Others to Thwart Trump Reprisals |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/20/us/politics/biden-pardons-fauci-milley-cheney-jan-6.html |newspaper = [[The New York Times]] |access-date=March 1, 2025}}</ref> The pardons covered Biden's siblings and their spouses, including [[James Biden]], who was interviewed as part of an impeachment probe into Biden. Others pardoned that day include former [[chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]] [[Mark Milley]], former [[National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases]] director [[Anthony Fauci]], and members and participants in the [[House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack]], despite many of those pardoned not having been under criminal investigation.<ref name="lastpardonnyt"/><ref name = "APpardons">{{Cite news |date=January 20, 2025 |title=Biden pardons Fauci, Milley and the Jan. 6 panel. It's a guard against potential 'revenge' by Trump |url=https://apnews.com/article/biden-trump-fauci-milley-pardons-january-6-3cba287f89051513fb48d7ae700ae747 |work = [[Associated Press News]]}}</ref> Biden justified the pardons by citing his concern about "baseless and politically motivated investigations" during Trump's second term.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 20, 2025 |access-date=March 1, 2025 |title=Biden pardons his family in final minutes in office |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/20/biden-pardons-family-members.html |agency = CNBC}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Debusmann |first1=Bernd Jr. |last2=Wong |first2=Vicky | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8r5g5dezk4o | title=Biden issues pre-emptive pardons for siblings, Fauci and Jan 6 riot panel | website=[[BBC News]] | date=January 10, 2025 |access-date=February 10, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Liptak |first1=Kevin |last2=Saenz |first2=Arlette | url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/20/politics/joe-biden-preemptive-pardons/index.html | title=Biden issues preemptive pardons for Trump critics and Biden family members | website=[[CNN]] | date=January 20, 2025 |access-date=February 10, 2025}}</ref> Biden added that the pardons were preemptive and should not be seen as implying their recipients' guilt.<ref>{{Cite news |first1=Michelle |last1=Stoddart |first2=Lucien |last2=Bruggeman |date=January 20, 2025 |title=President Biden pardons family members in final minutes of presidency |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/president-biden-pardons-family-members-final-minutes-presidency/story?id=117893348 |website = [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |first=Erin |last=Doherty |date=January 20, 2025 |title=Biden pardons family members minutes before leaving office |url=https://www.axios.com/2025/01/20/biden-family-pardons-white-house-donald-trump |website = [[Axios (website)|Axios]]}}</ref> The pardons Biden granted to his family and other political figures had a sweeping scope similar to the one he granted Hunter, covering federal offenses the recipients committed or may have committed between 2014 and the day of the pardon.<ref name = "APpardons"/><ref>{{Cite web |first=Kyle |last=Cheney |date=January 20, 2025 |access-date=March 1, 2025 |title=Joe Biden pardons several family members  |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2025/01/20/biden-pardons-family-members-00199331 |website = [[Politico]]}}</ref>

Biden also pardoned two other Democratic officials on his last day in office: Ernest William Cromartie, convicted of [[tax evasion]], and [[Gerald G. Lundergan]], convicted of a scheme to funnel money to his daughter's Senate campaign.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Michael D. |last=Shear |authorlink=Michael D. Shear |date=January 20, 2025 |title=Biden Pardons 5 Members of His Family in Final Minutes in Office |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/20/us/politics/biden-pardons-family.html |newspaper = [[The New York Times]] |access-date=March 1, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=January 20, 2025 |access-date=March 1, 2025 |title=Biden pardons former Ky. Democratic Party leader moments before leaving office |url=https://www.wkyt.com/2025/01/20/biden-pardons-former-ky-democratic-party-leader-moments-before-leaving-office/ |website = [[WKYT-TV]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=January 20, 2025 |access-date=March 1, 2025 |title=Former Columbia councilman Cromartie, previously jailed for tax evasion, pardoned by Biden |url=https://www.thestate.com/news/local/crime/article298849453.html |newspaper = The State}}</ref>