WASHINGTON (TNND) — On his way out of the White House, President Joe Biden made a move to shield his family from future prosecution, issuing preemptive pardons to his brothers, Francis W. Biden and James B. Biden, his sister Valerie Biden Owens and their spouses, Sara Jones Biden and John T. Owens.

In his final statement as President, he wrote:

"My family has been subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me—the worst kind of partisan politics. Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe these attacks will end.

I believe in the rule of law, and I am optimistic that the strength of our legal institutions will ultimately prevail over politics. But baseless and politically motivated investigations wreak havoc on the lives, safety, and financial security of targeted individuals and their families. Even when individuals have done nothing wrong and will ultimately be exonerated, the mere fact of being investigated or prosecuted can irreparably damage their reputations and finances."

He also asserted, "The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that they engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense."

It’s a sharp pivot from what President Biden said shortly after winning the election in 2020, during an interview with CNN, when asked about Donald Trump issuing preemptive pardons.

"It concerns me in terms of what kind of precedent it sets, and how the rest of the world looks at us as a nation of laws and justice," Biden said during the December 2020 interview.

President Donald Trump took no time criticizing the move, shortly after being sworn in.

The brother, the whole deal was pardoned. Can you imagine that? While I was making my speech," Trump said.

Since his first term in office, Trump has targeted Biden and his family members for business deals with the Chinese company CEFC and the Ukrainian gas company Burisma, which date back to 2014.

It's the same year Hunter Biden’s sweeping pardon from his father in December gives as the start date for any crimes he may have committed.

They are crimes Hunter's former business partner, Tony Bobulinski, asserts involved the entire family.

During an Oct. 2020 news conference, Bobulinski outlined details of the business and who was involved.

“I was introduced to Joe Biden by Jim Biden and Hunter Biden and at my approximately hour-long meeting with Joe that night, we discussed the Biden's history, the Biden’s family business plans with the Chinese," he said.

For legal experts, President Biden’s departing move represents some murky waters when it comes to the law, with nothing forbidding or allowing preemptive pardons spelled out.

In an interview with The National News Desk Tuesday, former U.S. Attorney John P. Fishwick Jr. said, "The founding fathers envisioned the pardon would be for somebody who was charged with a crime, convicted of a crime and a president of the United States would say I’m forgiving of that crime. What President Biden has done has said anything you could be charged with, I’m forgiving you."

While implementing new guardrails to the sweeping Presidential power would likely require a constitutional amendment, there is speculation that preemptive pardons could face legal challenges. There are now questions about whether the action of pardoning someone who’s never been charged or convicted of a crime is constitutional. The answers may have to be given by the Supreme Court.