Biden's 'egregious' pardon choices are 'what we would expect from Trump', say WV Democrats.

President Biden's last-minute executive clemency recipients were criticized by West Virginia Democrats, who believed such actions were typical of their political opponent, President-elect Trump.

Local party leaders commended Biden for guiding the U.S. through economic difficulties but criticized the commutations granted to those convicted of corruption.

"When officials use their power for personal gain, they harm the communities they serve and erode trust in government institutions," stated Chairman Mike Pushkin, a state lawmaker from Kanawha County.

"President Biden's pardons are not what we would expect from him, but rather from President-elect Donald Trump."

A state delegate from Kanawha County, Pushkin, criticized Trump's pardons of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, Gen. Michael Flynn, political strategist Stephen K. Bannon, and ex-Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz.

President Biden's actions have legitimized the notion that public officials who break their oaths of office are beyond the law, according to Pushkin.

"If Trump returns to the White House, he may become more emboldened to issue more pardons for political corruption."

Democrats, including Pushkin, fiercely criticized Biden's decision to pardon disgraced Pennsylvania Judge Michael Conahan, who played a central role in the "kids-for-cash" scandal.

Conahan was convicted of receiving kickbacks for sentencing young people to for-profit prisons.

Hollis Lewis, D-Charleston, also disagrees with Biden's decision to grant Conahan clemency.

The judge who was involved in the cash-for-kids case upset me, he said.

"It is problematic when individuals target children and the elderly for prey."

Lewis stated that both parties' presidents have made questionable clemency decisions, emphasizing that a pardon is a valuable tool that should be used appropriately.

It's not necessary for someone to carry a scarlet letter of a felony for a long time if the crime they committed is not severe, according to him.

"When crimes against the elderly, children, or have patterns of violence with clear evidence and no reasonable doubt, we should reconsider exonerating those individuals."

The WVDP criticized Biden's decision to grant clemency to Rita Crundwell, the former Comptroller of Dixon, Illinois, who was convicted of embezzling $54 million in the largest municipal fraud case in the country.

A pay-to-play scheme was involved in the third case, which featured Jimmy Dimora, a former county commissioner in Cleveland.

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who is now an Independent but still aligns with Democrats, was contacted by Planet Chronicle Digital.

During the time of presidential pardon season, West Virginia was prominently featured in the news due to former President Bill Clinton's controversial pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich.

Rich was accused of evading taxes and circumventing sanctions on Iran and apartheid South Africa.

Rich was also involved in an aluminum manufacturer on the Ohio River that faced accusations of locking out 1,500 workers and hiring scabs, which was allegedly illegal due to the plant's alleged lockout.

Rich's office in Switzerland was picketed by members of the West Virginia union, according to reports.

An investigation into Clinton's pardons of Rich and business partner Pincus Green was initiated by New York prosecutor Mary Jo White.

In 2002, when White's tenure ended, she was succeeded by a young federal prosecutor who would later become infamous in another Clinton controversy: James Comey.