Washington [US], December 25: Calling President Biden's commutation of the sentences of 37 death row inmates "senseless," Trump vowed to "vigorously" enforce the death penalty when he takes office.
US President-elect Donald Trump announced on December 24 that he would direct the Justice Department to "vigorously pursue" the death penalty to protect Americans from "rapists, murderers, and sadists."
"We will have a country of law and order again," AFP quoted Mr. Trump as writing on the social network Truth Social. The statement was made a day after US President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 out of 40 federal death row inmates to life in prison without parole.
Among those whose sentences were commuted were nine convicted of murdering a fellow inmate, four of murdering a bank robber and one of killing a prison guard. The other three who were not pardoned were convicted of terrorism and hate crimes, the president said.
"Biden just commuted the death sentences of 37 of our country's worst murderers. When you hear about each of their actions, you will not believe he would do this. It is senseless. The families and friends (of the victims) will be devastated. They cannot believe this is happening," Trump wrote .
In commuting the sentence, President Biden said he "condemned the killers and grieved for the families of the victims who suffered irreplaceable loss."
"However, in my conscience and my experience, having served as a defense attorney, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee , vice president and now president, I believe we must end the use of the death penalty at the federal level," according to the outgoing White House boss.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper