In Final Act as President, Biden Pardons His Siblings and Their Spouses Who Were Subject To Congressional Investigations
‘My family has been subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me — the worst kind of partisan politics,’ the outgoing president said in a statement.
In his final act as commander-in-chief, President Biden has pardoned his three siblings and their spouses—all of whom were at risk of being investigated by the incoming Trump administration after congressional Republicans spent years digging into the family’s foreign business dealings.
In a statement released just minutes before his term ends, Mr. Biden said he believed “partisan politics” would motivate additional investigations into his family after he leaves office. Mr. Biden said in a statement Monday that he would pardon his sister and two brothers—Valerie Biden Owens, Frank Biden, and James Biden, along with his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, John Owens and Sarah Biden.
“My family has been subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me — the worst kind of partisan politics. Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe these attacks will end,” the president 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.”
“The full and unconditional pardons for all five Biden family members covers all actions between January 1, 2014 and January 20, 2025.”
Mr. Biden’s decision to issue these pardons come just days before Republican members of Congress, led by the House Oversight Committee’s chairman, Congressman James Comer, were set to issue a criminal referral for the president’s brother, James, who has spent decades as a Washington lobbyists for powerful corporate interests and foreign clients. At least one past client has admitted that he only hired James Biden because of his last name.
“Baseless and politically motivated investigations wreak havoc on the lives, safety, and financial security of targeted individuals and their families,” Mr. Biden said in the statement announcing his pardons. “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 finances.”
