CNN’s John King criticized former President Biden’s last-minute pardons of his family members on his way out of the White House as “unseemly” in remarks Monday.

In voiceover commentary on CNN, the veteran journalist recalled covering former President Clinton when he pardoned, on his last day in office, billionaire Marc Rich, whose wife had been a Democratic donor.

“I was covering the Clinton White House when, at the very last minute, when the then-soon-to-be former President Clinton was on his way to the Capitol, and they pardoned this billionaire Marc Rich, who was a fugitive and had violated all sorts of sanctions against Iran and other countries around the world,” King said.

“It's just unseemly,” he continued. “If you're going to do it, have the courage to do it in the light of day and explain it to the American people. It's a stain on his legacy to do it like this.”

“We can have an argument about, is it necessary? Has Donald Trump promised retribution? Yes, he has,” King said. “But, I just, if you're the president of the United States, who said that the curse of Donald Trump was that he didn't respect democracy and didn't respect norms, have the courage to look the American people the eye and explain what you're doing.”

Biden announced pardons for members of his family in the final minutes of his presidency Monday, a development that came as President-elect Trump’s inauguration was already underway.

The blanket pardons were issued to his brother, James Biden; his sister-in-law, Sara Jones Biden; his sister, Valerie Biden Owens; his brother-in-law, John T. Owens; and his youngest brother, Francis Biden.

“My family has been subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me — the worst kind of partisan politics,” Biden said in a statement. “Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe these attacks will end.”

Biden said the pardons do not acknowledge any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance of them be viewed as an admission of guilt. They cover any nonviolent offense from Jan. 1, 2014, to Sunday.

A number of the family members previously testified before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee as it investigated both President Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, in a probe of influence peddling.

The president had also given his son a similar blanket pardon last month, drawing bipartisan criticism after previously saying he would never make such a move.

The draft is three weeks away now. GM Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson have pieced together an off-season that is earning widespread praise across the league. The question is whether they can stick the landing with their 1st round pick in the draft. Current projections have the top three picks likely being a mix of Cam Ward, Travis Hunter, and Abdul Carter. After that, it gets tricky. People in Chicago want to know where running back Ashton Jeanty will end once the dust settles.

Widespread belief has been that the Las Vegas Raiders are the heavy favorites to take him at 6th overall, with New Orleans at #9 also being a possibility. It makes sense. Las Vegas’ best option right now is a 33-year-old Raheem Mostert. New Orleans knows Alvin Kamara turns 30 in July. Both teams need to think about the future at that position. Both have head coaches who like to run the ball. One thing is clear. A source told SM that those around the league believe one thing is certain.

“He likely won’t get passed Chicago if he falls that far.”

Ashton Jeanty is a strong probability for the Bears.

Whispers from Halas Hall indicate they love the Boise State star. It isn’t hard to see why. He nearly broke Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record in 2024, nearly winning the Heisman in the process. The guy carried his team to the college football playoffs. He’s built like a brick house with power, speed, contact balance, and vision. There aren’t any truly glaring weaknesses in his game. He’s earned comparisons to the likes of LaDainian Tomlinson and Marshawn Lynch. The Bears haven’t had a back of that caliber since Matt Forte.

Try to imagine what this offense could look like with Ashton Jeanty, Rome Odunze, D.J. Moore, and Cole Kmet all as options for quarterback Caleb Williams. Throw all of it into Johnson’s offense, and you can understand why some people around the league aren’t wild about the idea. They are quietly hoping Jeanty goes somewhere else. One thing is certain. If he gets past the Raiders, the noise will get loud in a hurry. It would mark the first time in 20 years the Bears have taken a running back in the 1st round.