Biden issues first pardons of presidency

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden on Tuesday wielded his clemency powers for the first time, announcing pardons for three people, including the first Black man to serve in the White House’s Secret Service detail.

Biden also announced the commutation of sentences for 75 others, mainly going to those serving lengthy terms for non-violent drug offenses. "America is a nation of laws and second chances, redemption, and rehabilitation," Biden said in a statement.

The pardons are for "people who have demonstrated their commitment to rehabilitation and are striving every day to give back and contribute to their communities," he said. One recipient is Abraham Bolden, an 86-year-old former member of the US Secret Service and the first African American to protect a president, joining the detail in John F. Kennedy’s administration.

He was charged with crimes related to attempting to sell a copy of a Secret Service file and convicted after two trials, although the White House says that key witnesses later admitted to lying.