Biden frees radical left-wing killer convicted in FBI agents' murders during last hours as president

Shortly earlier leaving bureau Monday, erstwhile President Joe Biden commuted the beingness condemnation of Leonard Peltier, a far-left activistic convicted successful the 1975 murders of 2 FBI peculiar agents, Ronald Williams and Jack Coler, who were gunned down successful a shootout successful South Dakota.

Peltier's astir caller bid for parole failed successful July. Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama some denied clemency requests for him, but helium had supporters among different salient Democrats, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, arsenic good arsenic erstwhile Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.

The determination outraged the FBI Agents Association and came days aft outgoing FBI Director Christopher Wray sent a missive to Biden urging him not to escaped the killer.

"The FBI Agents Association (FBIAA) is outraged by President Biden’s determination to commute the condemnation of Leonard Peltier, a convicted bull slayer liable for the brutal murders of FBI Special Agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams," FBIAA President Natalie Bara told Fox News Digital. "This last-second, disgraceful enactment by then-President Biden, which does not alteration Peltier’s guilt but does merchandise him from prison, is cowardly and lacks accountability. It is simply a cruel betrayal to the families and colleagues of these fallen Agents and is simply a slap successful the look of instrumentality enforcement."

DOJ PANEL DENIES PAROLE FOR FAR-LEFT ACTIVIST CONVICTED IN SLAYINGS OF 2 FBI AGENTS

Leonard Peltier, American Indian Movement leader, is led crossed Oakalla situation workout gait to a waiting helicopter. After a prolonged ineligible battle, Peltier was ordered deported by Canadian Justice Minister Ron Basford to look charges of murdering 2 FBI agents. (Bettmann/Contributor via Getty Images)

On Jan. 10, Wray implored Biden not to bash it.

"I anticipation these letters are unnecessary, and that you are not considering a pardon oregon commutation," Wray wrote. "But connected behalf of the FBI family, and retired of an abundance of caution, I privation to marque definite our presumption is clear: Peltier is simply a remorseless killer, who brutally murdered 2 of our ain – Special Agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams. Granting Peltier immoderate alleviation from his condemnation oregon condemnation is wholly unjustified and would beryllium an affront to the regularisation of law."

Peltier, present 80 and successful mediocre health, is serving 2 consecutive beingness sentences for the slayings, positive different 7 years for an equipped flight attempt. He repeatedly failed to entreaty his case. His supporters feared helium would dice successful situation and looked to President Biden to acceptable him free.

"For astir 50 years, nary less than 22 national judges, aggregate parole boards, and six statesmanlike administrations person evaluated the grounds and considered Peltier’s arguments," Wray wrote. "Each has reached the aforesaid conclusion: Peltier’s claims are meritless and his convictions and condemnation indispensable stand."

Biden overruled him.

PRESIDENT BIDEN PARDONS HIS SIBLINGS JUST MINUTES BEFORE LEAVING OFFICE

FBI Special Agents Ronald Williams, left, and Jack Coler, right, pictured successful their authoritative FBI portraits. Both men were executed astatine point-blank scope connected June 26, 1975 aft being injured successful a shootout. Leonard Peltier was convicted of sidesplitting them. (FBI)

It's the latest successful a drawstring of pardons, commutations and sweetheart plea deals Biden has fixed to convicted murderers connected his mode retired of office. He took 37 retired of 40 national inmates disconnected of decease row, and his lawyer general, Merrick Garland, took the decease punishment disconnected the array for a brutal MS-13 person liable for 7 murders. Two victims, teen precocious schoolhouse girls, were massacred with machetes and shot bats.

He besides gave last-minute preemptive pardons to his household members and allies, including his siblings, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Mark Milley and members of the January 6 Committee. He had antecedently pardoned his son, Hunter.

Read FBI Director Wray's missive to Biden connected Leonard Peltier:

Haaland praised Peltier's commutation.

"I americium beyond words astir the commutation of Leonard Peltier," she wrote connected X. "His merchandise from situation signifies a measurement of justness that has agelong evaded truthful galore Native Americans for truthful galore decades."

TEEN MS-13 VICTIM'S FATHER SLAMS LAST-MINUTE BIDEN DOJ PLEA DEAL

On June 26, 1975, Williams and Coler were looking for a radical of equipped robbery suspects successful the Oglala Sioux Indian Reservation successful Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Although Peltier wasn't 1 of them, helium was traveling successful a conveyance that caught the agents' attention.

The agents weren't alert that Peltier was besides the taxable of an apprehension warrant for the attempted execution of an off-duty constabulary serviceman successful Wisconsin.

Former President Joe Biden delivers his farewell code to the federation from the Oval Office of the White House connected January 15, 2025 successful Washington, DC.  (Mandel Ngan/Getty Images)

According to tribunal documents, Williams warned Coler implicit the vigor that idiosyncratic successful the conveyance was astir to commencement shooting astatine them. Gunfire erupted. Both agents were wounded. According to the FBI, some agents were executed with point-blank gunshots to the caput from Peltier's AR-15.

Coler, primitively from Bakersfield, California, had been an LAPD serviceman earlier joining the FBI successful 1971. Williams was besides a California native, from Glendale. He joined the FBI successful 1972.

"The pardon of Leonard Peltier is not an enactment of justness but an abandonment of it," said Nicole Parker, a erstwhile FBI cause who mislaid 2 colleagues of her ain to line-of-duty violence.

"I myself mislaid my dearest person and colleague, FBI Special Agent Laura Schwartzenberger, and Special Agent Daniel Alfin erstwhile they were murdered February 2, 2021, executing a hunt warrant to halt a kid predator," she told Fox News Digital. "The crushing heartbreak of losing mighty warriors who selflessly support others is indescribable."

A 1985 situation representation of American Indian Movement (AIM) activistic Leonard Peltier, who was convicted successful 1976 of the murders of FBI agents Ronald Williams and Jack Coler.  (MPI/Getty Images)

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Four men were arrested successful their deaths, but lone Peltier was convicted, according to the FBI. The authorities dropped charges against James Eagle, the robbery fishy Williams and Coler were looking for astatine the commencement of the shootout. Two different men, Robert Robideau and Darrelle Butler, were acquitted astatine proceedings successful 1976. 

After his merchandise from national prison, helium is expected to beryllium placed connected location arrest.

"Agents Coler and Williams gave their lives successful work to this nation, and their families proceed to carnivore the dense load of that sacrifice," Bara said. "The nonaccomplishment of these heroes is felt arsenic profoundly contiguous wrong the FBI household arsenic it was successful 1975. Leonard Peltier has ne'er expressed remorse for his actions. Special Agents Coler and Williams were stolen from their families, robbed of the accidental to stock precious clip and milestones with their loved ones. Leonard Peltier should not person been granted a mercy helium truthful cruelly denied to the Coler and Williams families."