Squad member urges Biden to use presidential pardon power on thousands of imprisoned Americans

Democratic Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley on Monday urged President Joe Biden to grant clemency to thousands of other Americans imprisoned in federal institutions, after he pardoned first son Hunter Biden.

The president issued a full pardon late on Sunday night for his son, claiming Hunter was unfairly targeted and prosecuted. The blanket pardon, which covers crimes from 2014 through 2024, means the first son cannot be prosecuted or sentenced for his tax charges, his federal gun charge, or any possible crime he committed while on the board of Burisma. 

Pressley called for the president to extend presidential pardons for other people who have been victims of an "unjust legal system," who she claimed are predominantly "Black and brown." 

“Today, I’m thinking of the hundreds of thousands of people who pose no threat to society and whose lives are deteriorating due to America’s mass incarceration crisis and unjust criminal legal system,” Pressley said in a statement. “President Biden used his pardon authority last night in response to what he saw as an injustice of the legal system. 

“In the remaining days of his presidency, I have called on President Biden to use his clemency power to change the lives of families across this nation — families who are disproportionately Black and brown, with loved ones behind the wall, suffering from injustices of the legal system," she added.

The statement on Monday is not the first time that Pressley, an advocate for criminal justice reform, has called on the president to use his presidential pardon powers. The lawmaker joined two other Democrats last month in sending a letter to Biden that urged him to grant clemency to incarcerated Americans, The Hill reported.

Pressley also introduced the FIX Clemency Act in 2021, which would have addressed the mass incarceration crisis.

“This issue is deeply personal to me," Pressley said Monday. "As the daughter of a formerly incarcerated parent who has gone on to make great contributions to society, I know firsthand how life-changing the President’s action would be and how much hope it would give to millions who call America home."

Pressley said that if Biden does grant clemency to the thousands of individuals then he would "cement his legacy as one of the most compassionate and impactful Presidents of our time."

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.