Biden’s Marijuana Pardons Misrepresented As Cover-Up Scheme
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A post circulating on social media has made misleading claims about President Biden’s use of presidential pardons, suggesting he has issued over 8,000 pardons – more than any other president in history.
The viral post features a chart comparing presidential pardons across different administrations, accompanied by text suggesting these pardons indicate widespread criminal activity linked to Biden himself, effectively claiming he’s pardoning himself in the process.
However, this interpretation misrepresents the distinction between pardons and commutations, two separate forms of presidential clemency. While a pardon completely eliminates the legal consequences of a criminal conviction, a commutation merely reduces a sentence while maintaining the original conviction.
JUST IN: President Biden issues federal pardons to every American who has previously used marijuana.
Ironically, Biden's own vice president Kamala Harris prosecuted some of the very same people who Biden is now pardoning.
Kamala Harris is responsible for overseeing 1,956… pic.twitter.com/VPluWEovyC
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 22, 2023
The high number referenced in the post largely stems from Biden’s executive order providing clemency for simple marijuana possession cases on federal lands and in Washington, D.C. This action, while significant, didn’t result in any prison releases but was intended to remove barriers for individuals seeking employment, housing, and educational opportunities.
In his most notable clemency action to date, Biden pardoned 39 individuals convicted of nonviolent offenses and commuted sentences for approximately 1,500 people under home confinement – marking the largest single-day grant of clemency by any president.
BREAKING: Congressman Chip Roy says the Trump administration should pardon the pro-life Americans Joe Biden put in prison. pic.twitter.com/jfBUd3nMtX
— LifeNews.com (@LifeNewsHQ) December 18, 2024
Additionally, Biden has pardoned his son Hunter Biden for a decade-long period, an action that some observers have drawn parallels to Richard Nixon’s pardon.
This isn’t the first instance of pardon-related misinformation gaining traction online. Similar claims, such as an incorrect assertion that President Obama pardoned 1,927 individuals during his presidency, have previously been fact-checked and proven false.
