Biden Pardons Former Secret Service Agent And 2 Others
Huff PostFILE - This 2016 photo shows Abraham Bolden at his South Side home in Chicago. via Associated Press WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has granted the first three pardons of his term, providing clemency to a Kennedy-era Secret Service agent convicted of federal bribery charges that he tried to sell a copy of an agency file and to two people who were convicted on drug-related charges but went on to become pillars in their communities. “Elected officials on both sides of the aisle, faith leaders, civil rights advocates, and law enforcement leaders agree that our criminal justice system can and should reflect these core values that enable safer and stronger communities.” Those granted pardons are: — Abraham Bolden Sr., 86, the first Black Secret Service agent to serve on a presidential detail. In 1964, Bolden, who served on President John F. Kennedy’s detail, faced federal bribery charges that he attempted to sell a copy of a Secret Service file. Inimai Chettiar, federal director of the criminal justice reform advocacy group Justice Action Network, called Biden’s first pardons and commutations “just modest steps” and urged Biden “to meet the urgency of the moment.” “President Biden ran on a promise to help end mass incarceration, and he has broad public support for that promise,” Chettiar added.