President Joe Biden announced Saturday his decision to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, to former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and billionaire philanthropist George Soros.
The announcement aligns with Biden’s recent recognition of January 6th Select Committee leaders Liz Cheney, a former congresswoman, and Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), who were awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal.
According to a White House press release, Clinton is being recognized for her “decades in public service” and for becoming the first female presidential nominee of a major U.S. political party, a milestone that sparked both acclaim and controversy. Clinton, who lost to President-elect Donald Trump in the 2016 election, later attributed her defeat to factors including Russian interference and FBI actions. Recently, she has advocated for increased tech platform regulation to prevent what she described as the risk of “losing total control,” seemingly in reference to governmental authority.
Soros, described by the White House as an “investor, philanthropist, and founder of the Open Society Foundations,” is being acknowledged for his global efforts to promote democracy, human rights, and social justice. His foundation supports initiatives in over 120 countries. Soros remains a polarizing figure, with Republican governors like Florida’s Ron DeSantis criticizing his funding of progressive district attorneys and their lenient approaches to criminal justice reform.
Additionally, Cheney and Thompson are among 20 individuals receiving the Presidential Citizens Medal for “exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens.” The January 6th Committee, which they led, faced criticism for alleged partisanship and limited Republican participation. Critics, including The Federalist, claimed the committee was “illegally established” and aimed at framing political opponents as insurrectionists while ignoring members’ own potential misconduct.
