Biden pardons five members of his family

PHOTO CAPTION: Then-President-elect Donald Trump walks with then-U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House on the inauguration day of Donald Trump's second presidential term in Washington, U.S. January 20, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -     U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday pardoned five members of his family, saying he wanted to prevent them from being targeted by "baseless and politically motivated investigations."

Those pardoned are his two brothers James and Francis. Also on the list are Sara, the wife of James Biden, Biden's sister Valerie and her husband John. 

In a statement, Biden also commuted the life sentence imposed on Native American activist Leonard Peltier, who has served nearly five decades in federal prison for the 1975 killings of two FBI agents. Peltier will serve the remainder of his sentence in home confinement.

 (Reporting by Susan Heavey; writing by David Ljunggren; editing by Paul Simao)