In yet another stunning example of recklessness in the Joe Biden administration, a convicted drug dealer who allegedly, through former President Biden’s autopen, was freed through commutation is once again behind bars. Willie Frank Peterson, 52, was initially convicted in March 2023 for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and sentenced to over six years in federal prison. Peterson served barely five months before Biden’s autopen dramatically shortened his sentence to just 20 months in January 2025, quickly setting him free.
Peterson wasted no time returning to criminal activities; on Monday, March 17, he was arrested by the Dothan Police Department in Alabama and charged with two counts of unlawful possession of controlled substances, possession of marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and three firearm-related offenses. Peterson’s rapid relapse into crime highlights the consequences of Biden’s unchecked clemency and political virtue-signaling.
December 12, 2024, the Biden Administration engaged in the largest single-day grant of clemency in history, which it repeatedly praised itself for, reducing sentences of 1,500 criminals and pardoning 39 others. Then, barely a month later, Biden further commuted sentences for nearly 2,500 inmates, primarily individuals convicted of drug-related offenses.
In a white house press statement at the time of the pardons, former President Biden justified his actions as correcting “discredited distinctions between crack and powder cocaine” and outdated drug sentencing laws. The former President also said, “With this action, I have now issued more individual pardons and commutations than any president in U.S. history.”
Social media erupted with outrage as Peterson’s arrest became public. One X poster, for example, claimed, “This is Willie Frank Peterson. He was just arrested for possessing cocaine, hydrocodone, marijuana, and two counts of illegally possessing a firearm; Biden’s autopen commuted his sentence just 2 months ago. He’s now back in prison.”
Another user exclaimed, unsurprised that Peterson was back behind bars; his criminal record was years in the making. On X, this user said, “Peterson’s rap sheet isn’t new—75 months for cocaine conspiracy, cut short by Biden’s bleeding-heart stunt. Fact: he was back slinging drugs and packing heat faster than Kamala can cackle. While Trump deported Tren de Aragua scum to El Salvador’s CECOT, Biden’s freeing crooks to prey on our streets. The contrast is stark—strength versus weakness, order versus chaos.”
Other commenters blamed former President Biden for directly endangering the public with his liberal pardons. One X user joined in on the frustration that many Republicans are feeling when they said, “So let it be known that Biden’s autopen took a convicted drug dealer and put him back out on the street to continue his work.”
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President Trump spoke his mind on Truth Social about the ridiculous pardons, adding his thoughts and further context to the unjust pardons. President Trump issued this statement on Truth Social on March 17, saying, “The “Pardons” that Sleepy Joe Biden gave to the Unselect Committee of Political Thugs, and many others, are hereby declared VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT, because they were done by autopen.
The President continued, clarifying why the pardons are void and confirming that former President Biden did not approve the documents. The post continued, “In other words, Joe Biden did not sign them, but, more importantly, he did not know anything about them! The necessary Pardoning Documents were not explained to or approved by Biden. He knew nothing about them, and the people who did may have committed a crime.”
Concluding, President Trump hammered on relating the negligence of the pardons to the slanderous Russian Collusion witch hunt. The President finished his post by saying, “Therefore, those on the Unselect Committee, who destroyed and deleted ALL evidence obtained during their two year Witch Hunt of me, and many other innocent people, should fully understand that they are subject to investigation at the highest level. The fact is, they were probably responsible for the Documents that were signed on their behalf without the knowledge or consent of the Worst President in the History of our Country, Crooked Joe Biden!”
The case of Willie Frank Peterson raises crucial questions about the legitimacy of the Biden administration’s largest single-day grant of clemency, as Peterson’s arrest is a troubling reminder that unchecked clemency and political virtue-signaling can have dangerous, tangible consequences for ordinary Americans. Here is a Fox News report on December 12, 2024, when the pardons occurred; watch here:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video