Democrats Refuse to Condemn Biden’s Commutations for 37 Death Row Inmates

Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today asked the Senate to pass a resolution condemning the Biden administration's blanket commutations of 37 death row inmates. Senate Democrats blocked the resolution, illustrating that they continue to support Joe Biden's soft-on-crime policies, denying justice to the victims and their families.

Senator Cotton: For almost four years now, Joe Biden has subjected our country to economic misery, uncontrolled crime, and international humiliation. And now, on the way out of his failed and scandal plagued presidency, he's showering gifts and favors for some of the most depraved human beings.

It started last month, with Hunter Biden- pardoning his own son not just for the crimes he was convicted and pleaded guilty to but for all crimes that he may have committed. Lord only knows what Joe Biden was trying to cover up. The hits continued when he issued 1,500 blanket commutations for criminals, whose records- by his own aids admission- he did not review, whose victims he did not consider-an affront to the pardon process envisioned by our founders, which was intended to correct specific and limited errors in the criminal justice system.

Among the beneficiaries of these commutations was a corrupt judge who sent hundreds of kids to jail for bribes. Yes, a judge took bribes to imprison children. The victims of the so-called "kids for cash judge" included a young man who later killed himself. These 1,500 commutations also benefitted hundreds of drug dealers, fraudsters, and thieves.

Joe Biden and those who control him though didn't seem to care about the victims of those criminals-instead, they just continued their uncaring, offensive giveaway to criminals.

The hits continued in just the last two weeks, we learned that the Biden Administration released 11 Yemeni terrorists from Guantanamo Bay, including two suspected bodyguards of Osama Bin Laden. We also learned that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two other architects of the 9/11 attacks will avoid the death penalty as a result of a Biden administration plea deal.

That plea bargain is an insult to the sacrifice of the thousands of young Americans who left their homes, their families, and their professions after 9/11 and volunteered to go to fight on behalf of our country. That is an absolute disgrace, and it alone would blacken the legacy of any presidency.

There should be a Senate resolution condemning every single one of these commutations and the release of every single terrorist-but unfortunately, Senate Democrats would block every single resolution. Case and point: last month, I introduced a resolution condemning the democrat's commutation that "kids for cash" judge- surely we can agree on that, but nope. Senate Democrats, led by the Senator from Illinois, objected even to that limited bill.

Therefore, I have come to the floor today not to condemn all of these atrocious actions-although they all deserve condemnation. I am here to simply judge the depth of Democratic fealty to the disgraced president halfway out the door.

I am asking the Senate to condemn just two of President Biden's latest and most inexcusable commutations of all-his commutations of death row inmates' death sentences. Just two days before Christmas-two days before Christmas, when most kids have visions of sugarplum fairies dancing in their heads-- the president announced that he was commuting the death sentence of 37 rapists, murderers, and sadists.

With that action, he brought relief to 37 depraved monsters on death row and despair to the families of their victims during the holiday season. It is difficult to express the cruelty of reminding these families of the worst day of their lives and robbing them of justice right before Christmas. A Christmas gift to 37 savage murderers, and a reminder to those families that not only will the never spend Christmas with their loved ones again, but they won't get justice for their loved ones.

The president showed disdain for the victims of these crimes and their families, presumably and cynically hoping that the Christmas holiday would suppress media attention and public backlash against his commutations. I don't think so.

Now, the President and his defenders would like the American people to think that President Biden made these commutations out of a principled objection to the death penalty-I could respect that, I know people who are opposed to the death penalty no matter how heinous the crime in all cases, usually founded in a deep-seated religious conviction. I can respect that, I certainly disagree with it, but I understand it.

But that is not what Joe Biden did. That is a lie. He commuted the sentences of 37 death row inmates, and he left three killers on death row. Who are they? You may have heard of them-- the Mother Imanuel church shooter in Charleston, the Tree of Life synagogue shooter in Pittsburg, and the Boston Marathon Bomber. So, clearly, he believes in the death penalty for some criminals, but not most.

He made a choice, a moral judgement that the victims of 37 depraved murderers and their families didn't deserve justice. He also made a choice that not even he- doddering out of the White House could defend the commutations of racist murderers, and terrorists on political grounds or inflict that kind of grave political damage on his own party.

But he wasn't motivated by principle-he was motivated by politics and guided by left-wing ideologues.

He hand-picked 37 murderers to save from death row. Unlike the rest of his pardons and commutations, he can't hide behind the excuses of staff incompetence, personal arrogance, or the affection of a father. He knew who he was pardoning, and he knew the evil crimes they committed.

So, I would like to discuss in a little more detail just two of the depraved savages that Joe Biden saved from death row.

The first is Anthony Battle, who broke into his ex-wife's home and raped her, stabbed her to death with a butcher knife. She was heard screaming QUOTE "help me, help me, rape." She was a United States Marine-and Anthony Battle raped and murdered her. Yet that murder wasn't even the crime for which he was on federal death row.

He wasn't done. While he was in prison, he beat a 31-year-old correctional officer to death with a hammer, hitting him in the back the head three times until he was soaked in the officer's blood. The correctional officer hadn't even done nothing to provoke or confront Battle-Battle beat him to death anyway. When he was given a chance to apologize for the killing, Battle said that the officer QUOTE "died like a dog."

This is why we have the death penalty for correctional officers-so inhumane monsters who are stuck in prison for life have some reason not to start open-hunting season on correctional officers.

This is the man that Joe Biden decided deserved mercy two days before Christmas. A man who raped and murdered a U.S. Marine and bludgeoned a peace officer to death.

Joe Biden also saved the life of Marvin Gabrion, another rapist and serial killer. While facing trial for raping 19-year-old Rachel Timmerman, yes that is right, he was on trial for raping a 19-year-old girl, Gabrion kidnapped her, bound her body with duct tape, he chained her to a concrete block, and he threw her into a lake while she was still breathing. Her last moments filled with terror and agony.

In addition, he also killed her 11-month-old baby. 11 months old. He allegedly confessed in prison that he QUOTE "killed the baby because there was nowhere else to put it."

This is the man Joe Biden also decided deserved clemency two days before Christmas.

It is an ancient truth that some crimes are so evil that the scales of justice can never balance so long as the perpetrator lives. Every day that men like Marvin Gabrion and Anthony Battle draw breath at the expense of American taxpayers is a day that justice is denied.

There is no forgiveness in this world for what they did and there is no redemption. The sooner they exit this world; the sooner they will face the full measure of justice in the next.

And that's just 2, I could give you 35 more examples as well. That's all I am asking for today. Unanimous consent for two resolutions-the first one condemns the commutation of Marvin Gabrion, a rapist and serial killer, the second condemns the commutation of Anthony Battle, who raped and murdered a U.S. Marine and bludgeoned a correctional officer to death.

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Senator Cotton: Reserving the right to object- which I certainly will. I want to briefly address what the senator from Illinois said about my resolution condemning these two death sentence commutations. And I want to acknowledge the senator from Illinois as a long time and principled opponent of the death penalty based, I believe in part on genuine and deep faith convictions. He has had that position for years, and as I said I can respect that. The senator from Illinois would presumably want to see the commutation of the Mother of Imanuel Church Shooter, the tree of life synagogue shooter, and the Boston marathon bomber.

I strongly disagree, I can respect it. It's not what Joe Biden did. Joe Biden picked and chose which depraved murderers and rapists deserved to live and deserved to die, denying justice to the families of all those who were killed by anyone who wasn't totally politically toxic.

Second, the senator from Illinois said that he did not hear 5 words in my remarks. He repeatedly said he did not hear 5 words in my remarks. Those 5 words he did not hear are "life without the possibility of parole". That is true, he didn't hear those words in my remarks. That's not what these murderers were sentenced to, they were sentenced by a jury of their peers to the death penalty. And one of them that I offered the resolution on- Anthony Battle, murdered a correctional officer while he was in prison for life.

Giving these 37 depraved murderers life in prison without the possibility of parole doesn't solve the problem, it creates 37 new potential problems. Open hunting season on correctional officers at every facility where they are incarcerated. Again, that is why we have the death penalty, for the murderer of a correctional officer. Because otherwise, there is nothing for these depraved men to lose.

Now, Senator Durbin also mentioned a few of President Trump's pardons of Medicare fraudsters or political allies or others. I haven't review every one of those cases, I am not prepared today to say whether I would support them or not. Some of them sound pretty bad.

Here's what they aren't though, heinous murderers who duct taped a woman alive, tied her to a concrete block and threw her in a river while the murderer was on trial for her rape. And then killed her 11-month-old baby because he didn't have anything better to do with it.

He mentioned the January 6 defendants, President Trump has said he is going to likely issue pardons in those cases, I think that's appropriate. Many of these men and women have been convicted of misdemeanor crimes like parading and picketing on public grounds without a permit and they had the book thrown at them-- including a 72-year-old great grandma who was just walking around wearing a red MAGA hat. I expect, I hope the president will view these cases on a case-by-case bases-I think all presidents should do that. But whatever President Trump does with January 6 defendants and commutations or pardons will pale in comparison to eliminating the judgment of these 37 depraved murderers' fellow citizens to impose the death penalty on them. Will pale in comparison to depriving these families of some measure of justice two days before Christmas.

So, I do object to this resolution, and I cannot believe that this Senate, our democratic colleagues cannot bring themselves to condemn some of these pardons over the last two months. Of Hunter Biden, or the kids-for-cash judge who sold kids into juvenile detention centers for bribes. Or now, depraved murderers. I object Mr. President.

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