CT Senate GOP: New Questions Arise Re: Adrian Peeler Clemency

Sen. Stephen Harding, Sen. Heather Somers, and Sen. Rob Sampson are raising new questions about former President Joe Biden’s Jan. 17 grant of clemency to Adrian Peeler, a Bridgeport man who was serving a 35-year sentence for conspiracy to commit murder involving the killing of an 8-year-old witness and his mother.

Government watchdog The Oversight Project obtained copies of emails from senior Justice Department officials who were left baffled by the pardons. Associate Deputy Attorney General Brad Weinsheimer specifically referenced Peeler’s case, writing, “The family of those victims has been very involved in opposing Mr. Peeler’s motion for compassionate release and other relief over the years and will be extremely upset to learn of this development.” (https://nypost.com/2025/08/19/us-news/biden-doj-ripped-white-house-over-clemency-grant-to-non-violent-offenders/)

The Republican state senators issued the following statement regarding the revelation:

“Former President Biden’s outrageous grant of clemency to Peeler was a terrible miscarriage of justice. Now, we see that befuddled top Biden Justice Department officials were expressing serious concerns. It raises fresh questions about the legitimacy of that executive action. A heinous crime was committed in Bridgeport. What about the victims of that extreme violence? They have been rendered voiceless.”