The White House released a list of pardons for 39 individuals who committed “non-violent crimes” or “non-violent drug crimes.” The specific crimes they committed were not mentioned.
Some of those who received pardons were released from prison. Many are veterans or have become community leaders or advocates.
The White House described one of the pardon recipients as a 49-year-old Virginia resident who was convicted of a drug offense at age 21. After completing his sentence, he earned a college degree and went on to a successful career in the U.S. Army, volunteering with charities that support the Air Force and veterans.
“He is known to those who know him as an extremely hard-working, dedicated and trustworthy person,” the White House said in a statement that provided brief biographies of all those who received pardons.
The 1,499 people whose sentences were commuted include individuals who were in home confinement during the Covid-19 pandemic and individuals whose sentences Biden deemed too long due to outdated laws.
“They showed that they deserve a second chance,” Biden said of the people he commuted.
Biden promised “more action in the coming weeks.”
The president is scheduled to leave the White House on January 20, 2025, when his successor, Donald Trump, takes office.
Biden previously had a record of pardoning fewer people than most presidents in modern American history.
But he has granted several categorical pardons in the past. This is a pardon granted to a large number of people who fall into categories determined by the President.
In October 2022, Biden announced a full pardon for people convicted of simple marijuana possession, later expanding it to include other marijuana-related crimes.
Earlier this year, Biden granted another full pardon to soldiers and veterans convicted of crimes because of their sexual orientation.
Biden’s decision earlier this month to pardon his son Hunter continued a trend of presidents on both sides of the U.S. political divide, including Trump, granting pardons to people close to them.
The younger Biden was sentenced in two criminal cases: tax fraud and gun crimes.
The move has proven controversial, as the outgoing president previously ruled it out. But he claimed the case against his son was politically motivated.
Biden is also reportedly considering preemptive pardons for high-profile critics of his successor, Trump, to protect them from retaliation once the president-elect takes office, but is concerned about the precedent it would set.
In a separate development Thursday, a former FBI informant pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI that led to its investigation into the Biden family.
Alexander Smirnov admitted that he fabricated a story that Biden and his son had received bribes from Ukrainian energy company Burisma. This claim was taken by Republicans in Congress as evidence of corruption.
According to the Pew Research Center, President Trump granted 237 pardons during his first term in the White House. This included 143 pardons and 94 commutations.
Before he left office, many people were left confused.
Trump recently promised to grant pardons on his first day in office to those convicted of participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, in which his supporters attempted to block the certification of Biden’s election victory.
He said there would be amnesty for “non-violent” people this week.
“The majority should not be in prison,” he told The Times on Thursday. “They have suffered greatly.”
