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Gideon Hess
By Gideon Hess December 5, 2024

No, former presidents George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter didn’t pardon family members

If Your Time is short

  • Neil Bush was never charged with a crime for his role in the 1980s financial industry savings and loan scandals. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. settled a lawsuit against him and other corporate officers of the Silverado Banking, Savings and Loan Association.

  • Billy Carter was never charged with a crime for taking $220,000 from the Libyan government without first registering as a foreign agent. A Senate investigation found no evidence he broke the law.

  • PolitiFact found no evidence that former presidents George H.W. Bush or Jimmy Carter interfered with their family members’ proceedings or took action afterward to change the consequences.

President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden this month for federal gun and tax convictions and any "offenses against the United States" since 2014, drawing comparisons to past controversies involving presidential families.

Some social media users claimed former presidents George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter also pardoned immediate family members.

A Dec. 2 Threads post said Bush "pardoned his son Neil for his role in the S&L scandals of the 1980s" and Carter "pardoned his brother Billy who took over $200,000 from Libya as its foreign agent."

Others shared the same text Dec. 3 on X, with some posts amassing more than 893,000 views.

But these claims are false. The federal government did investigate George H.W. Bush’s son and Jimmy Carter’s brother, but neither one received a pardon.

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The former presidents never had the chance: neither investigation led to criminal charges that presidential pardon power could have erased.

Neil Bush was involved in the financial industry’s savings and loan crisis, which led more than 1,000 savings and loan associations to close. He was an officer of the Silverado Banking, Savings and Loan Association, which collapsed in 1988, followed by hearings and investigations by Congress and federal agencies.

In 1990, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. sued Silverado Banking officers, including Neil Bush, accusing them of "gross negligence." Separately, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Thrift Supervision accused Neil Bush of conflicts of interest and ordered him not to violate conflict of interest regulations in the savings and loan industry in the future.

Neil Bush’s father, then serving as president, publicly pledged not to get involved.

''It's easy for me as the president, because the system is going to work, and I will not intervene. I've not discussed this with any officials and suggested any outcome," George H.W. Bush said in July 1990.

The FDIC lawsuit ended in a 1991 multimillion-dollar settlement. The Austin Chronicle reported that an unnamed "Republican fundraiser" paid Neil Bush’s settlement obligations.

PolitiFact found no evidence George H.W. Bush interfered during these proceedings or used his presidential powers to intervene after the fact.

The Justice Department’s public list of George H.W. Bush’s presidential pardons does not mention Neil Bush — which makes sense because he was never charged with or convicted of a crime in the matter.

Similarly, the official list of Jimmy Carter’s presidential pardons does not mention his brother, Billy Carter — nor could it, because he had not been charged with a crime.

Jimmy Carter faced questions throughout his unsuccessful 1980 reelection campaign about his brother’s activity on behalf of the Libyan government. The controversy came to be known as "Billygate."

Billy Carter publicly stated in 1978 that the Libyan government had paid him to visit the country.

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A U.S. Department of Justice investigation found in July 1980 that although Libya paid Billy Carter $220,000, he registered as a Libyan foreign agent only after repeatedly ignoring the department’s notices that he must do so under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

The Senate then launched its own investigation.

Billy Carter said he did not lobby his brother on behalf of Libya, and Jimmy Carter said his brother had no influence on U.S. policy toward Libya.

Billy Carter described the Libyan money as a "loan" but reportedly never repaid more than $1,000.

The Senate investigation found no evidence Billy Carter violated the law.

Billy Carter was not charged with a crime, and PolitiFact found no evidence Jimmy Carter interfered in the investigations or acted officially to help his brother in the matter.

Some presidents have pardoned family members. Former President Bill Clinton pardoned his half brother Roger Clinton for 1985 cocaine charges shortly before leaving office in 2001.

In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln pardoned first lady Mary Todd Lincoln’s half sister Emilie Todd Helm, widow to a Confederate general, under his policy of amnesty for former secessionists.

During his first term in office, President-elect Donald Trump pardoned his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s father, Charles Kushner, for 2004 tax evasion, witness tampering and unlawful campaign donation convictions. (Trump has tapped Charles Kushner to be his ambassador to France.)

But neither George H.W. Bush nor Jimmy Carter ever pardoned a family member. We rate those claims False.

Our Sources

Threads post, Dec. 2, 2024

The American Presidency Project, "Billy Carter's Activities With the Libyan Government: White House Statement on the Final Report of a Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee," Oct. 2, 1980

The Associated Press, "Biden pardons his son Hunter despite previous pledges not to," Dec. 2, 2024

The Associated Press, "Booze, drugs, a pet snake and foreign dealings: Families can cause headaches for a White House," June 20, 2023

The Austin Chronicle, "O, Brother! Where Art Thou? Like Hugh Rodham, the Bush Bros. Have Capitalized on Family Ties," March 16, 2001

BBC, "Clinton pardons: Cast of characters," Feb. 22, 2001

Chicago Tribune, "Thrift Agency Deals Neil Bush Mild Sanction," April 19, 1991

CNN, "Trump selects Jared Kushner’s father, Charles Kushner, for ambassador to France," Nov. 30, 2024

C-SPAN, "House Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs Committee Silverado Savings & Loan Investigation," May 23, 1990

Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., "FDIC Files Suit Against Former Silverado Officials, Lawyers," Sept. 21, 1990

GovInfo, "Senate Hearing, 96th Congress - Inquiry into the matter of Billy Carter and Libya. Volume 1: hearings before the Subcommittee to Investigate the Activities of Individuals Representing the Interests of Foreign Governments of the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, Ninety-sixth Congress, second session, August 4, 6, 19, 20, 21, 22, September 4, 5, 9, 10, 16, 17, and October 2, 1980," accessed Dec. 5, 2024 

History.com, "President Lincoln pardons his sister‑in‑law," updated Dec. 12, 2023

Investopedia, "Savings and Loan Crisis (S&L): What Happened and Aftermath," updated July 21, 2024

Los Angeles Times, "Neil Bush and U.S. Settle Suit Over Failure of S&L; : Thrifts: $49.5-million accord involving 10 others from firm is one of largest negotiated by banking regulators." May 30, 1991

Mobituaries, "Billy Carter: Death of the First Brother," Nov. 1, 2019

Newsweek, "Five Siblings Who Made Things Awkward for U.S. Presidents," Sept. 6, 2024

The New York Times, "Billy Carter Dies of Cancer at 51; Troubled Brother of a President," Sept. 26, 1988

The New York Times, "Conclusions of Senate Subcommittee Report on Billy Carter's Ties With Libya," Oct. 3, 1980

The New York Times, "F.D.I.C. Sues Neil Bush And Others at Silverado," Sept. 22, 1990

The New York Times, "Neil Bush Ends His Appeal Of Ruling in Silverado Case," June 19, 1991

U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Pardon Attorney, "Pardons Granted by President George H. W. Bush (1989-1993)," updated April 28, 2021.

U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Pardon Attorney, "Pardons Granted by President Jimmy Carter (1977 - 1981)," updated Dec. 8, 2017.

U.S. Office of Thrift Supervision, "Order to Cease and Desist in the Matter of Neil M. Bush, A Former director of Silverado Banking, Savings and Loan Association, Denver, Colorado," April 18, 1991

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No, former presidents George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter didn’t pardon family members

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