Biden Makes One Last Shocking Move in Final Minutes of His Presidency, Pardons 5 of His Family Members

If former President Joe Biden has any concern about preserving his legacy, he hasn’t shown it during his departure from the White House.
Most Americans anticipated that the often-criticized ex-president would leave office on Jan. 20 following the results of the 2024 general election.
What many didn’t see coming, however, was Biden’s flurry of executive actions in the weeks leading up to his exit.
From mass commutations and pardons to unusual attempts at altering the Constitution via social media (???), divisive rhetoric, and a slew of other contentious moves, Biden has effectively dismantled the image of himself as a champion of “unity” — a role he once promoted extensively.
Yet, even after all that, many were stunned when Biden made one last controversial move: issuing preemptive pardons for his family in the eleventh hour of his presidency.
The announcement came just 30 minutes before his term ended. Curiously, the official White House statement was reportedly removed once President Donald Trump’s team revamped the White House website, as noted by reporter Greg Price:
With less than 30 minutes to go until Donald J. Trump becomes the President of the United States, Joe Biden just dropped his final act as President: Pardoning his brothers and sisters for any and all crimes they may have committed since 2014 pic.twitter.com/hJTr8fccbs
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) January 20, 2025
“To all to whom these presents shall come, greeting:,” the statement began.
It continued: “Be it known, that this day, I, Joseph R. Biden, Jr., President of the United States, pursuant to my powers under Article II, Section 2, Clause 1, of the Constitution, have granted unto James B. Biden, Sara Jones Biden, Valeria Biden Owens, John T. Owens, Francis W. Biden
“A full and conditional pardon
“For any nonviolent offenses against the United States which they may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014, through the date of this pardon.
“In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name and caused the seal of the Department of Justice to be affixed.”
As reported by The New York Times, Biden continues to assert his family’s complete innocence despite the last-minute pardons.
Biden “emphasized that he did not believe his family did anything wrong, but he feared political attacks by Donald J. Trump.”
“My family has been subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me — the worst kind of partisan politics,” Biden said. “Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe these attacks will end.”
This statement has sparked significant backlash, given that Biden had previously assured the public he wouldn’t issue preemptive pardons for his family — a move many expected Trump might take for his own family during his exit from office.
A widely shared clip highlights Biden’s 2020 promise: “You’re not going to see” me do that.
December, 2020. Jake Tapper asks President-elect Biden about the rumor that Trump may issue some preemptive pardons before leaving office.
— MAZE (@mazemoore) January 20, 2025
Biden: You're not going to see me do that. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/YNyS0Qk9yY
Fast forward to 2025, and it seems his stance has shifted dramatically.