President Joe Biden’s mistaken belief that his marijuana pardons expunged records could end up causing legal issues for recipients, as he not only continues to insist that those cases are sealed but now claims that those who received clemency no longer need to disclose their arrests or convictions on official forms, contrary to the law.
The president has said on multiple occasions—including during his State of the Union address last week—that his pardons expunged thousands of cases, even though presidential pardons simply represent formal forgiveness and, as the Justice Department and congressional researchers have clarified, the forgiven offenses remain on the recipient’s record.
But what’s been largely chalked up to a rhetorical blunder became a more pressing concern on Wednesday, as Biden told supporters at his Wisconsin campaign headquarters that people who were pardoned are no longer required to disclose their cannabis records on forms such as employment or housing applications that prompt them to provide that information.
After acknowledging a supporter who held a sign quoting his position that nobody should be jailed over marijuana possession and telling him that he’s “taking care” of the issue, the president again conflated pardons with expungements and then went further, suggesting that
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