President Joe Biden on Sunday issued another round of pardons, including to Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott (D-Portsmouth), for his 1994 drug conviction, after the Democrat’s criminal past became the target of criticism by both Chris LaCivita, the campaign manager for President-elect Donald Trump in 2024, and the Republican Party of Virginia.
The White House issued a statement on Sunday, in which Biden confirmed, “I am exercising my clemency power to pardon 5 individuals and commute the sentences of 2 individuals who have demonstrated remorse, rehabilitation, and redemption.” The outgoing president told the public that those he selected, “each made significant contributions to improving their communities.”
Scott was the fourth name mentioned by the White House, which acknowledged the Virginia Democrat “was previously convicted of a non-violent drug offense in 1994,” and was sentenced to 10 years in prison before becoming an attorney and Democratic politician.
“His supporters have highlighted his dedication to public service, his remorse and redemption, and his tireless commitment to improving the lives of those around him,” according to the White House.
In a statement posted to the social media platform X, Scott said he was “deeply humbled” to receive the pardon, “for a mistake I made in 1994.”
Scott was convicted in 1994 on offenses related to drug dealing and served more than seven years in prison, though he claimed in 2018 that he “never saw drugs,” and his role in the scheme was limited to retrieving drug money from Alabama.
The Democratic leader previously drew the attention of the president-elect’s campaign manager on X after Scott claimed Trump “caused the Capitol to be stormed which required [Virginia] police to go in harms way to restore order.”
LaCivita wrote, “This is RICH! Coming from a guy who spent years in prison – for selling CRACK,” before derisively adding he was “sure” that Hunter Biden “was a client” of Scott’s.
This is RICH! Coming from a guy who spent years in prison – for selling CRACK- (Hunter was a client i am sure) https://t.co/NftxoVmcHr
— Chris LaCivita (@ChrisLaCivita) July 9, 2024
Scott previously drew similar criticism from the Republican Party of Virginia.
The party wrote in a now-deleted post to X, “Is it any surprise that [Scott] spent 8 years in federal prison for peddling drugs to college kids, and now he’s obsessed with legislation to cut breaks for drug dealers? Anything for your buddies, right?”
Scott reportedly quipped that Virginia Republicans “don’t have the balls to come to my face and say stuff like that,” before questioning, “If I am what they say I am, how the hell do they keep losing to me?”
The comments about Scott were deleted after Governor Glenn Youngkin disavowed his party’s post, calling it “unforgivable,” and revealed that he personally contacted Scott to express his “deep respect for him and his life journey.”
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
