Fri Jan 17 10:57:30 UTC 2025: ## Biden Grants Record Number of Clemencies in Final Days of Presidency
**Washington, D.C. –** President Joe Biden concluded his term with a historic wave of clemency, commuting the sentences of nearly 2,500 individuals convicted of non-violent drug offenses. This action surpasses all previous presidential records for individual pardons and commutations.
The move, announced Friday, aims to address what the President described as disproportionately long sentences compared to current standards. Many of the commutations involved cases with outdated sentencing enhancements for drug crimes, particularly those stemming from the discredited distinction between crack and powder cocaine.
“This action is an important step toward righting historic wrongs, correcting sentencing disparities, and providing deserving individuals the opportunity to return to their families and communities,” Biden stated. While the White House did not immediately release a list of recipients, Biden hinted at further clemency actions before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
This latest round follows last month’s commutation of sentences for approximately 1,500 individuals, the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history, and the pardoning of 39 others convicted of non-violent crimes. Biden also recently commuted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates and controversially pardoned his son Hunter Biden for federal gun and tax violations, as well as any potential future federal offenses over an 11-year period.
The President is also reportedly considering broader pardons for officials and allies potentially targeted by the incoming Trump administration, a preemptive move that would be unprecedented in its scope and risk. This comes as Trump has vowed to overturn some of Biden’s clemency decisions, including the commutations of the death row inmates. The outgoing President’s actions stand in contrast to the flurry of pardons and commutations issued by Trump during his final hours in office in his first term, including those for high-profile figures such as Steve Bannon and rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black.
First Piper 