The Biden administration issued a rather stunning announcement Monday morning. President Joe Biden has issued an order commuting the sentences of 37 of 40 federal death row inmates. Making matters worse, the exception as to three of the inmates seems to drive a gaping hole through the logic of Biden’s claim that stopping the use of the federal death penalty is a matter of conscience.
As many have since noted, not only does the exception undermine Biden’s purported rationale and make the decision seem politically calculated, it also completely disregards the victims of the 37 whose sentences were commuted along with their families and loved ones — as if their tragedy and pain is somehow less deserving of justice than the victims of Robert Bowers, Dylan Roof, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
2/ Were the 3 whose sentences were not commuted convicted of murdering someone while in prison? Were they convicted of killing a cop? Those two factors could reasonably cause someone to treat the death sentence differently based on premise that you only institute death penalty
— Margot Cleveland (@ProfMJCleveland) December 23, 2024
4/4 But this all but 3 will be more politically devasting to him and Democrats because there was no basis for the distinction. And those commuted were equally or in some cases more brutual.
— Margot Cleveland (@ProfMJCleveland) December 23, 2024
BREAKING: Biden Commutes Federal Death Row Sentences
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Further, this action seemingly overlooks the fact that several of those whose sentences were commuted have gone on to commit additional murders while in prison.
Some people are dismissing the damage of commuting the death sentences of 37/40 federal death row inmates because they will still be serving life sentences in prison, but it’s important to note 9 of them have committed additional murders while in prison. pic.twitter.com/nkTwAalks7
— AG (@AGHamilton29) December 23, 2024
And all of that sidesteps the elephant in the room regarding who actually is calling the shots and making these consequential decisions.
Contracts, wills, and other legal actions are null and void if a party is mentally incompetent, as Joe Biden obviously is. The Congress and the Trump Department of Justice should investigate whether these pardons for depraved murderers are binding.
Who is making these decisions…
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) December 23, 2024
Monday afternoon, the Trump team, via Trump Communications Director Steven Cheung, issued a statement regarding this latest clemency move on the part of the president.
🚨 BREAKING: Trump team has issued a response to Biden commuting the sentences of 37 inmates on death row.
“These are among the worst killers in the world and this abhorrent decision by Joe Biden is a slap in the face to the victims, their families, and their loved ones.… pic.twitter.com/96TXuLKlNu
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 23, 2024
“These are among the worst killers in the world and this abhorrent decision by Joe Biden is a slap in the face to the victims, their families, and their loved ones. President Trump stands for the rule of law, which will return when he is back in the White House after he was elected with a massive mandate from the American people.”
Whatever one’s views regarding the death penalty, the inconsistency and illogic of Biden’s decision is, indeed, a slap in the face to all those harmed by the 37 whose sentences were commuted — and yet another stain on the Biden presidency.
