Donald Trump Inauguration: Joe Biden pardons siblings, their spouses minutes before leaving office

Donald Trump Inauguration: Outgoing US President Joe Biden on Monday pardoned his siblings and their spouses, saying his family had been “subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me — the worst kind of partisan politics.”

The action came minutes before Joe Biden left the office paving way for Donald Trump to take oath as 47th President of United States of America.

“Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe these attacks will end,” Biden was quoted as saying by news agencies.

Biden issued a slew of pardons and commutations in the moments before leaving office, including for aides and allies that have been targeted by Donald Trump. None have been charged with any crimes.

Last month, Biden pardoned his son, Hunter for tax and gun crimes. The decision on December 2 reversed Biden’s earlier stance of not intervening in legal matters concerning his son, who had become a political target in the media and by Republicans.

Earlier, in the final hours of his presidency, Biden issued pre-emptive pardons to several key figures, including Dr Anthony Fauci, retired General Mark Milley, and members of the House committee that investigated the January 6 Capitol attack.

The pardons come as Biden sought to protect these individuals from potential ‘revenge’ actions by the Donald Trump administration, which has expressed intentions to target those involved in investigations of former President Donald Trump.

Biden's decision came in the wake of public comments from Trump, who has previously threatened to pursue actions against individuals who have sought to hold him accountable for his role in the January 6 attack and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. The pardons were granted despite no formal acknowledgment of wrongdoing or criminal activity by the recipients.