It was a tale of two pardons.
Moments before he left the Oval Office, former President Joe Biden issued pardons for James Biden, Joe’s younger brother; Sara Biden, James’ wife; Valerie Owens, Joe’s younger sister; John Owens, Valerie’s husband; and Frank Biden, Joe’s younger brother. Hours after he entered the Oval Office, President Donald Trump issued pardons for over 1,500 Jan. 6 defendants who were federally charged in connection with the incident. (Subscribe to MR. RIGHT, a weekly newsletter about modern masculinity)
Of course, the legacy media treated each pardon very differently.
According to a new analysis from the conservative media watchdog Media Research Center, the flagship morning and evening newscasts from ABC News, CBS News, and NBC News spent 3 minutes and 32 seconds on Biden’s preemptive pardons. For the Trump Jan. 6 pardons? 46 minutes and 32 seconds, the analysis found.
Breaking it down further by network shows, ABC’s “Good Morning America” and “World News Tonight” covered the Trump pardons for over 15 minutes and Biden’s for a mere 34 seconds. NBC’s “Today” and “Nightly News” devoted 14 minutes and 30 seconds to Trump and under two minutes to Biden. And finally, “CBS Mornings” and “CBS Evening News” rounds it out, with 16 minutes and 32 seconds for Trump’s pardons and just over a minute for Biden’s.
In addition to the preemptive pardons for his family members, Biden issued sweeping pardons for Dr. Anthony Fauci, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, and Liz Cheney. (RELATED: Deep State Creature Finally Gets What Was Coming On First Day Of Trump’s Term)
Our nation relies on dedicated, selfless public servants every day. They are the lifeblood of our democracy.
Yet alarmingly, public servants have been subjected to ongoing threats and intimidation for faithfully discharging their duties.
In certain cases, some have even been…
— President Biden Archived (@POTUS46Archive) January 20, 2025
“I believe in the rule of law, and I am optimistic that the strength of our legal institutions will ultimately prevail over politics,” Biden said of his last-minute pardons. “But baseless and politically motivated investigations wreak havoc on the lives, safety, and financial security of targeted individuals and their families. Even when individuals have done nothing wrong and will ultimately be exonerated, the mere fact of being investigated or prosecuted can irreparably damage their reputations and finances.”
With his preemptive pardons in 2025, Biden broke a promise he made in 2020 when Trump at the time was reportedly floating pardons for friends and family members.
December, 2020. Jake Tapper asks President-elect Biden about the rumor that Trump may issue some preemptive pardons before leaving office.
Biden: You’re not going to see me do that. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/YNyS0Qk9yY
— MAZE (@mazemoore) January 20, 2025
Even Chuck Schumer lambasted the notion of preemptive pardons back in 2020, saying they “would be a gross abuse of the presidential pardon authority” during a speech on the Senate floor.
I have my reservations, but I would hope legacy media, in the three minutes it devoted to Biden, touched on the fact that the former president promised to never issue such nakedly corrupt pardons. It’s doubtful, however.
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This article was originally published at dailycaller.com
