Joe Biden’s recent wave of clemency began quietly in late November with the commutation of prison sentences for three Chinese nationals convicted of espionage, child pornography, and fraud.
The commutations were dated November 22, days before Biden issued a controversial pardon for his son, Hunter Biden.
The individuals granted clemency—Yanjun Xu, Ji Chaoqun, and Jin Shanlin—were released as part of a Thanksgiving prisoner exchange with China.
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In return, the Chinese government freed three Americans: Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and John Leung. The exchange was announced the day after Thanksgiving.
Yanjun Xu had been sentenced to 20 years in prison for espionage targeting American aviation companies, including GE Aviation in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) stated Xu acted as a Chinese intelligence officer attempting to steal trade secrets and acquire exclusive aircraft technology.
Ji Chaoqun, also linked to the Chinese Ministry of State Security, had been under Xu’s direction. Ji entered the United States and attempted to join the U.S. Army through a program for legal immigrants with vital language skills.
According to court documents, Ji lied on his application, claiming no contact with foreign government officials, with the intent to gain citizenship and eventually a security clearance.
Jin Shanlin, a former doctoral student at Southern Methodist University, had been convicted on charges related to more than 47,000 images and videos of child pornography found on his computer.
According to the Dallas Morning News, Jin was serving an eight-year prison sentence and reportedly had ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
Why on earth would Joe Biden commute/pardon a Chinese national in jail for possessing 47,000 child porn images?
Oh, unless the Chinese Communist Party has a lot more info on the Biden crime family?!? There’s so much more to this that needs to come out. pic.twitter.com/eGa9J7xI8X— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) December 13, 2024
Mixed in with all those pardons and clemencies, Biden let a man convicted of having 47,000 child p0rn images as well as videos of men r8ping infants. https://t.co/jPTpg2WOtQ pic.twitter.com/jhrgtxQUM4
— The Older Millennial (@teameffujoe) December 12, 2024
The November clemencies for the three Chinese nationals were not widely reported until Thursday, when Biden issued the largest single-day batch of pardons and commutations in modern U.S. history.
The actions included 1,500 commutations and 39 pardons for Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes, sparking debate on social media and raising questions in Congress.
The clemencies also coincided with Biden’s decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, for felony tax and gun charges on December 1.
Critics argue the timing of the clemencies and the pardon for his son undermines public trust in the justice system.
Officials told Just the News that the clemencies for Xu, Chaoqun, and Shanlin were part of a diplomatic arrangement to secure the release of Americans detained in China.
Among those freed were:
- Mark Swidan, a businessman detained since 2012 on drug charges widely criticized as baseless.
- Kai Li, who had been imprisoned on espionage charges since 2016.
- John Leung, a longtime U.S. resident detained in 2021 on charges of spying for the United States.
The Biden-Harris administration framed the exchange as a win for wrongfully detained Americans, though critics have questioned the implications of releasing individuals convicted of severe crimes.
The clemency spree appears far from over.
According to the Wall Street Journal, additional pardons and commutations are expected in the coming weeks as part of the Biden-Harris administration’s broader clemency efforts.
While the White House has touted the actions as a demonstration of compassion and justice reform, the decisions, particularly regarding the Chinese nationals and Hunter Biden, have sparked significant controversy and scrutiny from both lawmakers and the public.
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Did anyone expect anything other than this from Biden ? Expect more – and even then “It’s done – let’s move on to more saner Pro-American business with the Trump Administration – Happy Christmas !