President Joe Biden often references his Scranton, Pennsylvania roots, but after his controversial pardon of a corrupt judge involved in a notorious “cash-for-kids” scandal, the sentiment in his hometown appears to have soured.
Newly elected Republican State Representative Brenda Pugh called on Scranton officials to strip Biden’s name from the “President Joe Biden Expressway,” a highway named in his honor by the Scranton City Council in 2021. Her demand follows Biden’s pardon of former Luzerne County Judge Michael Conahan, who was convicted of taking kickbacks in exchange for sending minors to detention facilities — often for minor offenses or no offenses at all.
“Conahan’s conduct is forever a blight on Pennsylvania and a slap in the face to the victims and their families,” Pugh said, according to PAHomepage. “Biden’s clemency places complicity and a stamp of approval on his behavior. Children are among the most vulnerable Pennsylvanians. This decision is nothing short of a travesty and a miscarriage of justice.”
Pennsylvania Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro also criticized Biden’s decision, stating that it caused pain across the region. “Some children took their lives because of this. Families were torn apart. There was all kinds of mental health anguish that came as a result of these corrupt judges deciding they wanted to make a buck off a kid’s back,” Shapiro told the Pennsylvania Capital-Star.
Biden’s pardon of Conahan appears to be the final straw for many in Scranton. Beyond this specific controversy, critics point to Biden’s handling of the economy, escalating global conflicts during his administration, and concerns over alleged corruption within his family as additional reasons to reconsider honoring the outgoing president with such landmarks.
Highways and infrastructure, opponents argue, should not bear the names of leaders entangled in controversies or actions that undermine public trust.
