What to know about presidents pardoning family members and allies
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President Biden in the White House Rose Garden on Nov. 26. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
President Biden sent shockwaves through Washington Sunday night when he issued a pardon of his son Hunter — a move he'd previously vowed he wouldn't make.
Why it matters: Biden's pardon for his son is the most sweeping presidential pardon in decades, since then-President Ford issued a blanket pardon for former President Nixon, Politico reported.
- His decision infuriated Republicans and raised questions regarding the precedent that it could set for future presidents.
Yes, but: Biden is far from the only president to have issued a pardon for a family member or close ally.
Donald Trump
President-elect Trump is no stranger to controversial pardons. He issued one for Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, at the end of his first term.
- Kushner had pleaded guilty in 2004 to filing false tax returns, retaliating against a witness and making false statements to the Federal Election Commission as part of a prosecution by then-U.S. Attorney Chris Christie.
- He was sentenced to two years in prison and served 14 months, per the Washington Post.
- After being pardoned by Trump in 2020, Kushner was recently announced as Trump's pick for ambassador to France.
Some of Trump's friends and allies also received pardons at the end of his first term.
- In the final hours of his presidency, he pardoned his former White House adviser Steve Bannon, who was facing federal criminal charges stemming from a scheme to privately finance a southern border wall.
- Trump also issued last-minute pardons for his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and longtime associate Roger Stone.
Bill Clinton
Former President Clinton issued a presidential pardon for this half-brother Roger Clinton on his last day in office.
- Roger Clinton had pleaded guilty to drug charges in 1985 and spent a year in prison, but the pardon cleared his criminal record, the Washington Post reported.
Zoom out: Clinton's pardon of his relative was less controversial than his pardon of the financier Marc Rich, per CNN.
- Rich was an international fugitive who had fled to Switzerland to escape prosecution for tax evasion, racketeering, and wire fraud.
- Rich's ex-wife had donated over $1 million to Democrats and Clinton's presidential library, raising questions about the pardon, NBC News reported.
- Clinton also issued a pardon for Susan McDougal, his former business partner at the Whitewater Development Corporation.
Gerald Ford
One of the most defining moments of former President Ford's presidency came when he decided to pardon former President Nixon in the wake of Watergate.
- In September 1974 — just weeks after taking office — Ford announced that he would "grant a full, free and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon."
- The two men had been close friends and political allies.
Go deeper: Why Biden pardoned Hunter: Guilty feelings, family solidarity
