Manchin calls Biden’s clemency for two killers ‘horribly misguided and insulting’

In a surprising move, President Biden recently commuted the sentences of 37 prisoners on federal death row, changing their sentences to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. This decision has sparked controversy and backlash from various lawmakers, including Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia.

Sen. Manchin, who is a Democrat-turned-independent senator, expressed his outrage at the clemency granted to two individuals connected to the brutal murder of Samantha Burns in 2002. Burns, who was only 19 years old at the time of her death, was slain by two men, Chadrick Fulks and Brandon Basham, who had escaped from a detention facility in Kentucky. The men went on a crime spree that lasted seventeen days and resulted in the tragic death of Burns.

Manchin voiced his concerns on behalf of Samantha Burns’ parents, who had written letters to President Biden and the Department of Justice pleading for the death sentences of their daughter’s killers to be upheld. The senator described Biden’s decision as “horribly misguided and insulting,” particularly in light of the grieving family’s wishes.

In response to the commutations, President Biden condemned the actions of the murderers and expressed his sympathy for the victims and their families. He emphasized the need to halt the use of the death penalty at the federal level, citing a moratorium on federal executions that his administration has imposed, except in cases of terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder.

The controversial decision by President Biden has drawn criticism not only from Sen. Manchin but also from former President Donald Trump, who took to social media to express his disdain for the commutations. Trump’s fiery Christmas Day post on Truth Social told the 37 individuals who escaped capital punishment to “GO TO HELL!”

Despite the backlash, President Biden has stood by his decision to commute the sentences of the 37 prisoners on death row, reiterating his administration’s commitment to ending the use of the death penalty at the federal level. The debate over the death penalty continues to be a contentious issue in the United States, with strong opinions on both sides of the argument.