The job of the president comes with a myriad of privileges and responsibilities. They oversee 300 million-plus residents in the United States, so whoever is in the Oval Office has a lot on their plate. One controversial tool that the president has the power to utilize is presidential pardons. During the most recent presidential terms, this specific power has caused quite an uproar among those who keep up with the times.
In short, a presidential pardon is a forgiveness of sorts that comes straight from the president. As long as the applicant has worked to show that they have accepted responsibility and changed their ways, they are then pardoned for some or all of their crimes and punishments. However, this does not mean that they are innocent of the felonies they have committed. There are many reasons why a president would choose to pardon someone. Former President Joe Biden gave his son a reprieve after he was charged with felonies including tax evasion, filing false tax returns, failing to meet tax deadlines, and federal gun charges. Current President, Donald Trump, has pardoned prisoners doing time for the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Both of these cases have brought their fair share of controversy to the news.
Biden’s decision to pardon his son came as a surprise to the media due to his vehemency in denying his son’s request. He had previously been against using his power as president to wave away his own child’s crimes. However, he went through with pardoning his son. According to an article from NBC published in 2024, on Dec. 12 and 16, 2024, Hunter Biden was scheduled for sentencing for his crimes, but his father issued an eleven-year pardon that covered any crimes that his son may have committed between Jan. 1, 2014 to Dec. 1, 2024. This decision caused quite a disturbance among onlookers, including fellow politicians. President Donald Trump shared his opinion immediately after Biden issued the pardon. According to ABC News, Trump claimed that the choice was a “miscarriage of justice” and went on to complain about pardoning the Jan. 6 “hostages.” Backlash not only came from Republicans but also Democrats. According to an article from CNN published in 2024, “…Democrat, Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, said Biden’s decision placed ‘personal interest ahead of duty and further erodes Americans’ faith that the justice system is fair and equal for all.”’ This goes to show that not all decisions made by the President are necessarily good. When one lives under the millions of eyes that inhabit this country, every move is either going to make someone angry or others ecstatic. Biden wasn’t the only one to make waves in the political world with this particular power.
President Donald Trump made it very clear that dismissing the cases of those who were part of the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was at the top of his extensive to-do list. So, just hours after he was installed back into the Oval Office he issued pardons for all 1,500-plus convicts. The events of Jan. 6 consisted of violent assaults on police officers, breaking into the Capitol building, and sending the building into lockdown. Despite the Justice Department’s wish to keep the offenders in custody, Trump speedily released them in one fell swoop. According to an AP News article published in January, Trump claimed that the rioters were “patriots” and “hostages” and declared that they were mistreated by the Justice Department. These events are undoubtedly controversial, and it’s coming from all sides. CNN stated that “Republican senators struggled to defend Donald Trump’s decision to commute and pardon hundreds of January 6 protesters…” Democrats have also shared their thoughts on the matter and have been working to do something about it. According to CBS News, Democrats have been trying to pass a resolution that “denounces” the pardons made by Trump. It’s interesting that Trump is so emphatic about deporting “dangerous” criminals and then proceeds to release actual dangerous criminals. Not all who were present at the Capitol during this event were violent, but some people attacked and injured 140 police officers and defaced public and government property (the Capitol building itself). This included fourteen members of a far-right militia group called the Proud Boys, a group that often uses violence in their protests. Those individuals should’ve done their time in prison, but I guess they threw “back the blue” out of the window and left it to get trampled by an angry stampede.
No matter who is in office, pardons will hold controversy that will fire up people from both sides of the coin. The job of the president is difficult. Every one of their decisions is placed under a microscope and ripped apart by everyone. No one is completely pleased, but with free will comes disagreements, and no one will ever be satisfied.
