CNN reporters and hosts said Monday that President Biden's decision to pardon the family during the waning days of his administration tarnished his reputation and “left a stain on his legacy.”
“At the end of the day, Anderson, another broken promise. It's a decision that raises many worrying questions.” “That would have been one of President Biden's really last acts as a sitting president,'' CNN's MJ Lee said, adding that Biden told CNN's Jake Tapper in December 2020 that the U.S. He pointed out that he had said he had no intention of doing so. His administration will have pre-emptive pardons, and his approach to the justice system will be very different from President Trump's.
Biden's pardon applies to James Biden, Sarah Jones Biden, Valerie Biden Owens, John Owens and Frances Biden, the White House announced during President Trump's inauguration. . The former president claimed that his family could be subject to “politically motivated investigations” after leaving office.
Lee opened his statement by saying this is yet another way the former president tarnishes his legacy.
President Trump says Biden's last-minute pardon is 'unfortunate' at signing ceremony
President Joe Biden descends the stairs of Air Force One at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, Wednesday, July 17, 2024. (Susan Walsh/Associated Press)
CNN commentator and “The View” co-host Alyssa Farrar Griffin said during the debate that the family pardon is similar to last-minute pardons for Liz Cheney, Gen. Mark Milley and Anthony Fauci. He argued that it was “much more ambiguous” than that.
CNN host John King said it was “absolutely disgusting.” “If you're going to do it, have the courage to do it in the light of day and explain it to the American people. It's a stain on his legacy to do something like this. We can't discuss it. Yes, you can. Did Donald Trump promise retaliation? Yes, he promised, if you're an American president who says Donald Trump's curse is that he didn't respect democracy, that he didn't respect norms, have the courage to look at that. Americans look you in the eye and explain what you're doing.
David Axelrod, a former aide to President Obama, said he questioned the timing of the pardon.
“In fact, Mr. Trump has been saying this for a long time. It doesn't explain why he quietly announced the release in the last 10 minutes of his presidency. It just makes the whole thing look lame.” Axelrod he said.
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David Axelrod speaks on CNN on January 20, 2025. (Screenshot/CNN)
In December 2020, CNN anchor Jake Tapper asked Biden if he was concerned about rumors that the recently defeated President Trump would issue a slew of preemptive pardons to some of his aides.
“Well, I'm concerned about what kind of precedent this sets in terms of how the rest of the world views us as a nation of law and justice,” he said at the time.
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“You won't see that approach to pardons in our administration,” Biden added. “We also won't see an approach in our administration where we decide policy by tweet. You know, we're going to have a very different approach to the justice system.”
Fox News' Nikolas Lanum and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
