Republicans hammer Biden for federal death row reprieves ahead of leaving office
After the White House announced President Joe Biden’s decision to commute the sentences of nearly all the inmates on federal death row, Republicans wasted no time in slamming him for being “soft-on-crime.” Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., didn’t hold back in his criticism, calling Biden an “addled, corrupt, and demented failure” and accusing him of being led around by corrupt kids and Marxist staffers. Cotton, who is set to become the incoming chairman of both the Senate GOP conference and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, expressed his outrage at the decision to grant clemency to 37 depraved murderers.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., echoed Cotton’s sentiments, pointing to the Biden-Harris administration’s track record of allowing criminals to enter the country through the southern border. Emmer blamed Biden’s “soft-on-crime record” for his election defeat and President Trump’s subsequent re-election.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., also weighed in, stating that violent murderers should not have their sentences commuted and calling for an end to “soft-on-crime policies.” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., went as far as to label the decision a “slap in the face to the families who have suffered immeasurably at the hands of these animals.”
While Republicans voiced their disapproval, some Democrats celebrated Biden’s announcement. Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., commended the President for providing accountability through life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, effectively ensuring that the inmates in question would never pose a threat to public safety. Durbin, who has long advocated for the abolition of the federal death penalty, praised Biden for his act of justice and mercy.
Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., also applauded the move, calling it a “historic day in America” and thanking President Biden for sparing the 37 individuals facing the death penalty. Jayapal described capital punishment as discriminatory and fundamentally inhumane, and praised Biden’s use of executive action to save lives and deliver justice.
Biden’s decision to commute the sentences of federal death row inmates comes on the heels of his previous act of clemency, which saw the commutation of roughly 1,500 people’s sentences in the largest single-day clemency initiative. The move underscores the President’s commitment to criminal justice reform and his willingness to use his executive powers to bring about change.
As the political landscape continues to evolve, it is clear that President Biden’s approach to criminal justice reform will remain a topic of debate and contention among lawmakers and the public alike. The decision to commute the sentences of federal death row inmates has sparked a fierce debate between Republicans and Democrats, highlighting the deep divisions that exist within the American political system.
