Biden pardons Chinese offender convicted of possessing child pornography as part of prisoner swap
Jin Shanlin was found guilty of possessing 47,000 files of child sexual abuse material and was serving a 97-month prison sentence. He was released and returned to China. According to FBI testimony, his family was linked to influential figures in the Chinese Communist Party.
U.S. President Joe Biden during a summit in Angola.
President Joe Biden recently agreed, as part of a prisoner exchange with China, to commute the sentence of Jin Shanlin, a Chinese national convicted of possession of child pornography.
The decision has generated a strong reaction, given that Shanlin was found guilty of possessing 47,000 files of child sexual abuse material, some of which involved infants and young children, according to court documents.
The exchange also included two other Chinese nationals
The swap also included two other Chinese nationals convicted of espionage, Xu Yanjun and Ji Chaoqun, who were serving prison sentences for attempting to collect U.S. military technology for the Chinese regime. The commutations took place on Nov. 22, coinciding with a day when the Biden administration announced a record number of clemency grants.
Shanlin, who was serving a 97-month prison sentence, was released and returned to China. According to FBI testimony presented at his trial, his family was linked to influential figures in the Chinese Communist Party, which has fueled criticism of the decision. China's Foreign Ministry called the release a "diplomatic triumph."
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