BBC Gossip
  • Home
  • Health
  • News
  • Crime
  • Local News
  • People
  • Guest Post
BBC Gossip
BBC Gossip
  • Home
  • News
  • Health
  • People
  • Celebrities
  • Crime
  • Entertainment
  • Finance
  • Guest Post
Home Trump and Biden’s pardons show lack of trust and shaky belief in justice system
  • Local News

Trump and Biden’s pardons show lack of trust and shaky belief in justice system

    Pardons by Trump and Biden reveal distrust of each other and wobbly faith in criminal justice system
    Up next
    DAN HODGES: It's not just that people can't handle the truth about Southport. It's that they don't want the truth
    People struggle to accept the truth about Southport because they are unwilling to face it.
    Published on 22 January 2025
    Author
    BBC Gossip

    WASHINGTON – The day commenced with the preceding president granting pardons to officials and relatives and culminated with the succeeding president pardoning individuals who forcefully invaded the U.S. Capitol four years earlier.

    The acts of clemency by former President Joe Biden and current President Donald Trump — one benefitting individuals not facing charges, the other assisting rioters found guilty of violent crimes — differ greatly in terms of breadth, consequences, and their implications for the legal system.

    Nevertheless, the extraordinary display of presidential power within a 12-hour timeframe also reveals the deep mistrust each man has for the other, as both convey to their supporters that the fundamental tenets of the justice system — such as truth, proof, and law — could not be relied upon as core principles in the other’s leadership.

    “It was a sad day for Lady Justice no matter which side of the political spectrum you’re on,” said John Fishwick Jr., a former U.S. attorney in Virginia during the Obama administration. “In alternative ways, both Biden and Trump were sending the same message. Trump was saying it was a corrupt system the last four years, and Biden was saying it’s about to be a corrupt system. And that’s a horrible message.”

    In pardoning his siblings and their spouses in one of his final actions in office, Biden said his family had been “subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me — the worst kind of partisan politics.” He said he had “no reason to believe these attacks will end,” a similar rationale he cited when pardoning his son Hunter in December for tax and gun crimes despite having pledged not to.

    He also pardoned Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley and members of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol — all considered potential targets of investigation in a Trump administration despite no public evidence of any criminal behavior. Trump’s pick for FBI director, Kash Patel, has for instance singled out Fauci as someone deserving of investigation and prosecution over the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Even as Biden said he believed in the rule of law and was “optimistic that the strength of our legal institutions will ultimately prevail over politics,” he acknowledged that “exceptional circumstances” compelled him to act.

    That wobbly faith in the criminal justice system under Trump’s watch appears to mirror the American public’s perspective.

    About half of Americans are “not very” or “not at all” confident that the Justice Department, the FBI or the Supreme Court will act in a fair and nonpartisan manner during Trump’s second term. In each instance, roughly 3 in 10 are “somewhat” confident and about 2 in 10 are “extremely” or “very” confident, according to an AP-NORC poll from January.

    While the outgoing Democratic resident was convinced his successor could not be trusted not to target his perceived adversaries, including his own relatives, the incoming Republican president seemed equally convinced the prior administration engaged in political persecution of his supporters.

    Trump pardoned, commuted the prison sentences of or vowed to dismiss the cases of all of the 1,500-plus people charged with crimes in the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, a sweeping maneuver that far exceeded the forecasts of other Trump administration officials, who suggested the clemency grants would be narrower.

    The clemency wiped out the largest investigation in Justice Department history, the beneficiaries including members of the mob of Trump supporters who violently attacked police officers with weapons like flag poles, bats and bear spray, as well as leaders of far-right extremist groups convicted of failed plots to keep the Republican in power.

    Trump has cast the rioters as “hostages” and “patriots” despite the breadth of evidence accumulated by prosecutors and has complained that the cases were politically motivated despite no evidence of any coordination between the Justice Department and the White House.

    “That’s breathtaking. This is a man who does not believe in the rule of law. He believes he can do as he pleases. He’s made that clear for many years,” said Chris Edelson, an assistant American University professor specializing in presidential powers.

    He said he did not fault Biden for the preemptive pardons, given Trump’s warnings of reprisal.

    “It would be a lie or at the very least misleading for President Biden to assure Americans that they can trust the system,” Edelson said.

    Questions about faith in the rule of law have taken center stage as Trump looks for the Senate to confirm both Patel and his attorney general pick, Pam Bondi, who during her confirmation hearing last week told senators that she would not play politics while also suggesting that the Justice Department over the last four years had become weaponized.

    For critics of the pardons like Fishwick, the former U.S. attorney, the clemency risks adding to the misguided public perception that the criminal justice system is “rigged.”

    “I think both Biden and Trump were using the pardon power as part of political statements,” Fishwick said, “and that’s not how the Founding Fathers envisioned them being implemented by the president.”

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

    You May Also Like
    President Lee picks South Korea’s first civilian defense chief in 64 years
    • Local News

    South Korea Appoints First Civilian Defense Chief in Over Six Decades

    South Korean President Lee Jae Myung chose a five-term liberal lawmaker as…
    • BBC Gossip
    • June 23, 2025
    Police: Tanker truck overturns on I-270 in northeast Columbus causing large fire; several lanes closed
    • Local News

    Police report: Tanker truck flips over on I-270 in northeast Columbus, leading to significant fire; multiple lanes shut down

    The truck is said to have been carrying 8,500 gallons of gasoline.…
    • BBC Gossip
    • June 23, 2025
    What cases are left on the Supreme Court's emergency docket? Here's a look
    • Local News

    Exploring the Remaining Cases on the Supreme Court’s Urgent Docket

    WASHINGTON – The sequence of events is familiar: A lower court judge…
    • BBC Gossip
    • June 23, 2025
    How covering your face became a constitutional matter: Mask debate tests free speech rights
    • Local News

    The Constitutional Implications of the Mask Debate on Free Speech Rights

    CHICAGO – During the protests in Los Angeles against President Donald Trump’s…
    • BBC Gossip
    • June 23, 2025
    WATCH LIVE at 10 a.m.: Taking a look at construction on W. Colonial Drive in Pine Hills
    • Local News

    Live Stream at 10 a.m.: Trooper Steve Critiques Poor Driving in Central Florida

    ORLANDO, Fla. – We brought it back last month — and I…
    • BBC Gossip
    • June 23, 2025
    Judge seeks more information about Trump administration's cuts to Voice of America
    • Local News

    Judge requests further details on Voice of America budget reductions under Trump administration

    The federal judge who halted the Trump administration’s attempts to dismantle Voice…
    • BBC Gossip
    • June 23, 2025
    Trump says Iran warned US before missile strike on base in Qatar
    • Local News

    Iran provided advance warning to US about missile strike on Qatar base, says Trump

    In the wake of the American attacks, calls came from across the…
    • BBC Gossip
    • June 23, 2025
    Oil rises and US stock futures slide as markets react to US strike on Iran nuclear sites
    • Local News

    Market Update: Oil Prices Increase, US Stock Futures Decline Amid US Strike on Iran’s Nuclear Sites

    NEW YORK – The price of oil rose and U.S. stock futures…
    • BBC Gossip
    • June 22, 2025
    Beware of bank scams: Crooks impersonate employees, rip off victims
    • Local News

    Watch Out for Bank Scams: Fraudsters Pretend to be Bank Staff and Steal from Victims

    In Winter Garden, Florida, there is a growing trend of scammers pretending…
    • BBC Gossip
    • June 23, 2025
    Kilmar Abrego Garcia returned to the US, charged with transporting people in the country illegally
    • Local News

    Court orders Kilmar Abrego Garcia to be released from jail before trial, but ICE intends to apprehend him

    Prosecutors last week said that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would take…
    • BBC Gossip
    • June 23, 2025
    Suicide bomber kills at least 22 in Greek Orthodox church in Syria during Divine Liturgy
    • Local News

    Explosion at Greek Orthodox church in Syria during religious service kills over 20 people

    No group immediately claimed responsibility. In Dweir al-Shaykh Saad, Syria, a suicide…
    • BBC Gossip
    • June 23, 2025
    One man dies, two Colorado Springs police officers on administrative leave after shooting Monday
    • Local News

    Two Colorado Springs police officers placed on leave after fatal shooting incident involving one man

    In Colorado Springs, Colorado, authorities are looking into a fatal shooting that…
    • BBC Gossip
    • June 23, 2025

    Recent Posts

    • Woman’s arm severed in alligator attack on 20 kayakers; man saves group by poking beast in the eyes
    • “Michigan Church Shooting: Gunman Drives into Congregation with AR-15”
    • A cautionary tale: How a risky mistake during my tattoo almost led to disaster
    • Exploring the Remaining Cases on the Supreme Court’s Urgent Docket
    • Police: Man shot his sister and parents at their house
    Alligator attacks 20 kayakers leaving woman’s arm SEVERED – one man fought beast by sticking fingers in its eyes
    • News

    Woman’s arm severed in alligator attack on 20 kayakers; man saves group by poking beast in the eyes

    A HORRIFYING gator attack left a woman’s arm torn apart, and another…
    • BBC Gossip
    • June 23, 2025
    Michigan church shooter named after plowing into congregation armed with AR-15
    • News

    “Michigan Church Shooting: Gunman Drives into Congregation with AR-15”

    A man who opened fire on a church with an AR-15 was…
    • BBC Gossip
    • June 23, 2025
    I almost died getting a tattoo after artist made dangerous mistake... here is my warning to others
    • US

    A cautionary tale: How a risky mistake during my tattoo almost led to disaster

    A woman who wanted to honor her late brother by getting a…
    • BBC Gossip
    • June 23, 2025
    What cases are left on the Supreme Court's emergency docket? Here's a look
    • Local News

    Exploring the Remaining Cases on the Supreme Court’s Urgent Docket

    WASHINGTON – The sequence of events is familiar: A lower court judge…
    • BBC Gossip
    • June 23, 2025
    BBC Gossip
    • Home
    • Privacy Policy
    • News
    • Local News
    • Health
    • Crime
    • Guest Post