Before leaving office, former President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of several killers on death row.
These decisions have now been overturned by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who wants state officials to go after the death penalty for the prisoners.
Bondi told people who work at the Department of Justice (DOJ) about the commutes in a letter on Wednesday. In the letter, she said that Biden’s choice to let the people get out of their sentences “undermine[d] our justice system and subvert[ed] the rule of law.”
The commutations also robbed the victims’ families of the justice promised — and fought hard to achieve — by the Department of Justice,” Bondi said. “The Department of Justice is directed to immediately commence the following actions to achieve justice for the victims’ families of the 37 commuted murderers.”
Fox News reported that Bondi said, “Look for ways to give the families of the victims a public forum to talk about how the commutes affected them personally.” He called this a “important step” toward building trust and holding people accountable.
Bondi said that when going after people whose death sentences had been commuted, she would tell U.S. attorneys’ offices to use state law instead of federal law. According to her, this would only happen “where appropriate and legally permissible” and “after consultation with the families of the victims and other interested parties.”
“The Capital Case Section shall assist the United States Attorney’s Offices in implementing this directive,” Bondi’s letter said.
“Third, the Federal Bureau of Prisons is directed to ensure that the conditions of confinement for each of the 37 commuted murderers are consistent with the security risks those inmates present because of their egregious crimes, criminal histories, and all other relevant considerations,” she said.
“If you don’t comply with federal law, we will hold you accountable,” Bondi told us. “We got Illinois, strike one. New York is the second strike. And if your state doesn’t follow federal law, you’ll be next. “Get ready.”
The DOJ asked a federal judge last week to throw out sanctuary laws in Chicago and Illinois.
