President-Elect Biden: Call Out Trumps Lame Duck Executions!

President-Elect Joe Biden

A lame duck president should not be pushing the opposite agenda of the incoming administration. It's been 131 years since the last time there was a federal execution under a lame duck president. There was one on November 19, 2020, and now five more are scheduled.

The American people have spoken: more people than in any other election in our history voted for Joe Biden to become president. They’re ready for normal, steady, thoughtful leadership. That’s why we’re asking President-elect Biden to speak out forcefully against these federal executions.

Background:  

There are five federal executions scheduled in the final weeks of the lame duck Trump administration, including three more announced on November 20, 2020. Details of these cases raise questions of innocence/culpability, issues around serious mental illness, intellectual capacity, fairness, racial bias and other horrific issues that plague our modern death penalty.

As of November 19, 2020 President Trump has overseen eight executions since July 14, 2020 -- tying President Eisenhower’s record that occurred over his entire eight year term. The alarming speed with which these executions have been scheduled and carried out should deeply trouble all Americans. President Trump has secured his record as the biggest and best executioner--he should be happy. There’s no need to move forward with more.

In the end, all that matters is that the incoming administration has an opposite position to that being implemented by the outgoing administration. In fact, the Biden position on capital punishment is that it must be abolished. The Trump Administration should stop the executions, and Joe Biden should issue a clear and strong statement to that effect.
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To: President-Elect Joe Biden
From: Adrienne Fong

You have made your opinion on federal executions clear: they must end and under your administration, they will.

Mr. President-elect, please issue a clear and powerful statement condemning the executions scheduled to take place in the final weeks of the Trump Administration. Please also announce your commitment to stopping all federal executions immediately upon taking office.