In the final moments of his presidency, Joe Biden quietly issued blanket pardons for five members of his family. This last-minute decision followed earlier preemptive pardons for Dr. Anthony Fauci, members of the January 6 Committee, and General Mark Milley, regardless of whether they had committed any crimes.
Michael Lewitt, a former business partner of Jim Biden, testified that two companies involved in these efforts were partially owned by “members of the Qatari government.” One of the companies named in the testimony was directly partnered with Jim Biden as part of fundraising initiatives spanning several years.
The second company provided financial backing for a series of loans tied to a now-bankrupt hospital chain, which paid Jim Biden to arrange the financing, according to documents and testimony Lewitt provided during federal bankruptcy proceedings.
Oversight Chair @JamesComer blasts Biden family pardons as “a confession of their corruption.” https://t.co/SRy3p5bLVN
— Philip Melanchthon Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) January 20, 2025
President Biden also issued a pardon for his brother, James Biden, who has been the focus of several congressional investigations into the Biden family’s alleged involvement in foreign influence-peddling operations. Investigators previously scrutinized a $40,000 payment James made to Joe Biden, which was categorized as a “loan repayment.”
James Biden told House investigators that he did not believe CEFC China Energy, a company at the center of the controversy, was controlled by the Chinese government. He also claimed he “misspoke” when he told an IRS agent in 2022 that Hunter Biden, who was collaborating with him, had referred to CEFC executive Ye Jianming as a “protégé” of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Image: James Biden
Republicans accused James of lying to Congress and recommended criminal charges against him. They also suggested that his dealings might constitute unregistered foreign lobbying, which is another offense. Joe Biden also followed up on his previous blanket pardon for his son, Hunter, in a statement made on his way out the door.
“My family has been subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me—the worst kind of partisan politics. Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe these attacks will end,” the outgoing president said in a statement minutes before leaving office.
“I believe in the rule of law, and I am optimistic that the strength of our legal institutions will ultimately prevail over politics,” Joe Biden added, remarkably. “But baseless and politically motivated investigations wreak havoc on the lives, safety, and financial security of targeted individuals and their families. Even when individuals have done nothing wrong and will ultimately be exonerated, the mere fact of being investigated or prosecuted can irreparably damage their reputations and finances.”
