2007年，美国总统乔·拜登周一向几名近亲发布了赦免令他总统任期的最后几分钟.
拜登在一份声明中写道:“我的家人一直受到无情的攻击和威胁，唯一的动机就是想伤害我——这是最糟糕的党派政治。”。“不幸的是，我没有理由相信这些袭击会结束。”
“这就是为什么我行使宪法赋予我的权力，赦免詹姆斯·b·拜登、萨拉·琼斯·拜登、瓦莱丽·拜登·欧文斯、约翰·t·欧文斯和弗朗西斯·w·拜登，”他继续说道。“这些赦免的发布不应被误认为是承认他们参与了任何不法行为，接受也不应被误解为承认任何罪行。”
这五项先发制人的赦免令是发给乔的弟弟詹姆斯·拜登的;詹姆斯的妻子萨拉·琼斯·拜登;乔的妹妹瓦莱丽·拜登·欧文斯;约翰·t·欧文斯，瓦莱丽的丈夫;还有乔的弟弟弗朗西斯·w·拜登。
当他坐在国会大厦圆形大厅参加当选总统唐纳德·特朗普的就职典礼时，拜登宣布了对他的兄弟姐妹和姻亲的先发制人的赦免。
“我相信法治，我乐观地认为，我们法律机构的力量最终将战胜政治。但毫无根据和出于政治动机的调查会对目标个人及其家庭的生命、安全和金融安全造成严重破坏。即使个人没有做错任何事，最终会被证明无罪，仅仅是被调查或起诉的事实就可能对他们的名誉和财务造成不可挽回的损害，”拜登说。
拜登说:“发布这些赦免不应被误认为是承认他们从事了任何不法行为，接受赦免也不应被误解为承认犯有任何罪行。”。
这发生在拜登发布了一项有争议的赦免令12月初，他的儿子亨特·拜登因逃税和联邦枪支指控被捕。拜登曾多次表示，他不打算赦免亨特。
75岁的詹姆斯·拜登尤其受到共和党人的抨击。
国会共和党人向即将上任的司法部施压，要求对詹姆斯·拜登提出指控，指控他涉嫌在对即将离任的总统及其家人的弹劾调查中向国会撒谎。
詹姆斯和莎拉·拜登的代理律师保罗·菲什曼(Paul Fishman)在给美国广播公司新闻频道(ABC News)的一份声明中说，“吉姆和莎拉·拜登没有寻求这项赦免，因为他们从未犯下任何罪行。但出于总统描述的原因，他们已经接受了。”
众议院监督委员会主席詹姆斯·卡莫(James Comer)周五致函即将上任的司法部长帕姆·邦迪(Pam Bondi)，寻求让詹姆斯·拜登(James Biden)为“在乔·拜登(Joe Biden)参与其家族的影响力交易方面误导国会，根据联邦法律应该受到起诉”负责。
卡莫和他的共和党同事已经向司法部提交了詹姆斯·拜登的刑事案件。卡莫对拜登家庭的先发制人的赦免做出反应，称这是“对他们腐败的供认”。
1月19日签署的赦免令免除了詹姆斯·拜登和其他家庭成员“在2014年1月1日至赦免日期间可能犯下或参与的任何针对美国的非暴力罪行。”
这是即将离任的总统周一发布的第二次先发制人的赦免，对于即将离任的领导人来说，这不是一个不寻常的行为。他还赦免了即将上任的特朗普政府的潜在目标，包括安东尼·福奇博士、退役将军马克·米利和在众议院1月6日委员会任职的议员。
“我们的国家每天都依赖于无私奉献的公务员。他们是我们民主的命脉，”拜登在一份声明中说。“然而，令人震惊的是，公务员因忠实履行职责而不断受到威胁和恐吓。”
President Biden pardons family members in final minutes of presidency
President Joe Biden issued pardons to several close family members Monday inthe final minutes of his presidency.
"My family has been subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me -- the worst kind of partisan politics," Biden wrote in a statement."Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe these attacks will end."
"That is why I am exercising my power under the Constitution to pardon James B. Biden, Sara Jones Biden, Valerie Biden Owens, John T. Owens, and Francis W. Biden," he continued. "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."
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The five preemptive pardons were issued to James Biden, Joe's younger brother; Sara Jones Biden, James' wife; Valerie Biden Owens, Joe's younger sister; John T. Owens', Valerie's husband; and Francis W. Biden, Joe's younger brother.
While he was sitting in the Capitol Rotunda attending the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, Biden announced the preemptive pardons for his siblings and in-laws.
"I believe in the rule of law, and I am optimistic that the strength of our legal institutions will ultimately prevail over politics. 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 finance," Biden 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 offense," Biden said.
First lady Jill Biden, President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff stand together at the White House ahead of the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump Jan. 20, 2025 in Washington.
Win Mcnamee/Getty Images
This comes afterBiden issued a controversial pardonfor his son, Hunter Biden, in early December over tax evasion and federal gun charges. Biden had repeatedly said he did not plan to pardon Hunter.
James Biden, 75, has especially come under fire from Republicans.
Congressional Republicans have pressed the incoming Justice Department to bring charges against James Biden for allegedly lying to Congress as part of its impeachment inquiry into the outgoing president and his family.
Paul Fishman, an attorney who represents James and Sara Biden, said in a statement to ABC News, "Jim and Sara Biden did not seek this pardon because they have never committed any crimes. But for the reasons the President described, they have accepted it."
James Comer, the chair of the House Oversight Committee, wrote to incoming Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday seeking to hold James Biden accountable for "having misled Congress regarding Joe Biden's participation in his family's influence peddling and deserving of prosecution under federal law."
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Comer and his Republican colleagues had already issued a criminal referral for James Biden to the Justice Department. Comer reacted to the preemptive pardons of Biden's family, saying they serve as "a confession of their corruption."
The pardon warrant, signed Jan. 19, excuses James Biden and the other family members of "ANY NONVIOLENT OFFENSES against the United States which they may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014, through the date of this pardon."
These were the second preemptive pardons issued by the outgoing president on Monday, not an unusual act for departing leaders. He also issued pardons to potential targets of the incoming Trump administration, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley and lawmakers who served on the House Jan. 6 committee.
"Our nation relies on dedicated, selfless public servants every day. They are the lifeblood of our democracy," Biden said in a statement. "Yet alarmingly, public servants have been subjected to ongoing threats and intimidation for faithfully discharging their duties."
