Biden blasted for largest single-day grant of clemency in presidency's modern history

President Joe Biden disappointed millions nearly two weeks ago when he announced a sweeping pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, for crimes charged and uncharged dating back to 2014.

However, that grant of clemency was apparently the tip of a large iceberg, as President Biden this week announced a massive group of additional pardons and commutations that amounted to the largest single-day exercise of this particular type of power in the modern history of the office, as Fox News reports, leaving supporters as well as incoming President Donald Trump in disbelief.

Staggering clemency figures emerge

Announced on Thursday morning, Biden's most recent exercise of presidential clemency authority resulted in sentence commutations for roughly 1,500 individuals and pardons for another 39.

Among the commutations were grants of clemency for those who had received sentences of home confinement amid the COVID-19 pandemic and who have “successfully reintegrated” into the community.

Those receiving pardons, according to the White House, were all individuals convicted of non-violent offenses.

The administration appeared proud of the historic scope of the actions, saying in a statement, “The president has issued more sentence commutations at this point in his presidency than any of his recent predecessors at the same point in their first terms.

It also appeared that Biden has no plans to stop here, with the president noting, “I will take more steps in the weeks ahead,” adding that the administration will “continue reviewing clemency petitions to advance equal justice under the law, promote public safety, support rehabilitation and reentry, and provide meaningful second chances.”

Backlash soon follows

It was not long after the grants of clemency were announced by the White House that backlash began to ensue, with particular criticism emerging over consideration given to a Chinese national whose record includes a guilty plea to possession of thousands of pornographic images of children, as Newsweek notes.

The clemency extended to Jin Shanlin -- whose family has ties to the Chinese Communist Party -- was reportedly part of a November prisoner swap that secured the release of Mark Swidan, John Leung, and Kai Li, Americans who had been detailed in China.

Negative reactions on social media were swift and sure, with X account @MJTruthUltra declaring the clemency “just sick” and suggesting that it was an example of “the party of pedophiles protecting pedophiles.”

As the New York Post reports, also drawing particular criticism was the sentence commutation Biden gave to Michael Conahan, a former Pennsylvania judge convicted of sending juvenile offenders to for-profit detention centers in exchange for millions in kickbacks.

Especially upset by his grant of clemency was Sandy Fonzo, whose son killed himself during a period of incarceration stemming from the judge's scheme, stating, “Conahan's actions destroyed families, including mine, and my son's death is a tragic reminder of the consequences of his abuse of power. This pardon feels like an injustice for all of us who still suffer.”

Legacy dashed

The scope as well as the substance of Biden's clemency spree has prompted claims from those on the other side of the aisle suggesting that the president has irreparably tarnished whatever legacy he may have had, as the Daily Mail reports.

With speculation growing that Biden is also planning scores of additional pardons and commutations before he leaves office -- as well as potential pre-emptive pardons for folks such as Anthony Fauci and Liz Cheney -- history is unlikely to look favorably on the last days of this one-term presidency.