President Biden’s commutation for Leonard Peltier, who killed two FBI special agents, drew sharp criticism from the FBI Agents Association.

Natalie Bara, president of the FBIAA, said the organization was “outraged by then-President Biden’s decision to commute the sentence of Leonard Peltier, a convicted cop killer responsible for the brutal murders of FBI Special Agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams.”

Ms. Bara said that while Mr. Biden’s “last-second, disgraceful act” does not change Peltier’s guilt, it “does release him from prison is cowardly and lacks accountability.”

Ms. Bera called the commutation “a cruel betrayal to the families and colleagues of these fallen Agents and is a slap in the face of law enforcement.”

“The profound sacrifice made by Agents Coler and Williams should be honored, not diminished. FBIAA remains steadfast in our commitment to preserving their legacies, and we look forward to working with new leadership in Washington to protect the public, honor our heroes, and leave cop killers in prison where they belong,” Ms. Bera said.

Mr. Biden on Monday commuted the two life sentences imposed on Peltier, 80, a Native American activist convicted of killing the two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in June 1975.

The agents went to Pine Ridge to serve arrest warrants during battles over Native treaty rights and self-determination and found themselves injured in a shootout.

Agents Coler and Williams, according to the FBI, were both shot in the head at close range. American Indian Movement member Joseph Stuntz was also killed.

Peltier was extradited to the U.S. and convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison in 1977. The defense claimed evidence was falsified.

• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.