A man whose federal prison sentence was commuted by President Joe Biden just days before leaving office is back behind bars — and his arrest is reigniting criticism of the Democrats’ criminal justice policies.
Willie Frank Peterson, 52, was arrested this week in Alabama and charged with multiple drug and firearms-related offenses. The arrest comes less than two months after Biden commuted his sentence for conspiracy to distribute cocaine, a conviction that initially landed Peterson in prison in September 2023.
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Now, Peterson faces two counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance, marijuana possession, possession of drug paraphernalia, and three separate firearms charges, raising serious questions about the Biden administration’s vetting process for presidential clemency.
The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) called Peterson’s arrest a glaring example of the failure of what it describes as the Democrats’ soft-on-crime agenda.
“Joe Biden had no problem weaponizing government agencies against law-abiding gun owners and small retailers, or pushing for gun bans and other restrictions,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “Peterson’s arrest simply amplifies the implosion of such a policy, which treats convicted criminals better than honest citizens whose only ‘crime’ is their exercise of Second Amendment rights.”
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Peterson isn’t the first felon to be released under Democrat-led clemency efforts only to be arrested again. CCRKBA pointed to the recent arrest of Percy Levy, a felon in Washington state who was granted clemency in 2019 by former Governor Jay Inslee. Like Peterson, Levy was later arrested on new drug and weapons charges.
“High-ranking Democrats seem to make a habit of it,” Gottlieb said. “Both Inslee and Biden treat law-abiding gun owners like the enemy, while showing misplaced sympathy for people who flagrantly ignore the law.”
Gottlieb also slammed Biden’s decision to pardon his own son, Hunter Biden, who was convicted on a federal gun law violation — calling it the “greatest insult” to law-abiding gun owners nationwide.
CCRKBA argues that the current Democrat approach to criminal justice has created a two-tiered system, where those who follow the law are treated with suspicion while convicted criminals are granted second chances — often with dangerous consequences.
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“These high-profile arrests are putting the bankruptcy of Democrat policies on full display,” Gottlieb said. “They treat good people like criminals, while treating bad people like model citizens. Their moral compass is broken.”
The organization is urging lawmakers to rethink clemency procedures and focus on public safety, not political posturing.
Peterson remains in custody in Alabama as new charges are processed. The Department of Justice has not yet commented on whether his re-arrest will prompt a review of Biden-era clemency decisions.
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