Senior aides to President Joe Biden have reportedly been considering the prospect of issuing blanket pardons to certain officials in the wake of the president’s controversial pardon of his son, Hunter.
The aides are alarmed by President-elect Donald Trump’s choice of Kash Patel for FBI director given his past statements that he would seek out Trump’s detractors, Politico reported, citing senior Democrats. They worry officials could be subject to inquiries or indictments for their past statements or actions.
Those considered for pardons include Sen.-elect Adam Schiff (D-CA) and former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney, both members of the Jan. 6 committee. Former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci, who has been extensively criticized by many on the right, has been considered for a pardon as well, according to the outlet.
The aides discussing the pardons reportedly include White House counsel Ed Siskel and chief of staff Jeff Zients, among others.
Congressional Democrats have taken a quiet role in spurring the recent conversations, though they haven’t been lobbying for pardons themselves.
“If it’s clear by January 19 that [revenge] is his intention, then I would recommend to President Biden that he provide those preemptive pardons to people, because that’s really what our country is going to need next year,” Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) said on WGBH last week.
House Democrat Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA) recently issued a direct plea to Biden to issue the blanket pardons. “This is no hypothetical threat,” Boyle said in a statement. “The time for cautious restraint is over. We must act with urgency to push back against these threats and prevent Trump from abusing his power.”
Democrats such as Schiff are aligning with the belief that issuing blanket pardons may be unnecessary and could shed guilt where there may not be any. “I would urge the president not to do that,” Schiff said. “I think it would seem defensive and unnecessary.”
Whether the pardons may be necessary is unknown. A Washington Post report last year stated Trump and his allies were exploring revenge actions against his critics, including his former chief of staff, John Kelly, former attorney general William Barr, ex-attorney Ty Cobb, and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley.
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If Biden decides to issue blanket pardons, it would protect whoever is pardoned from any federal crime, but not crime levied from the state level. He recently issued a pardon to his son for a nearly 11-year period spanning from 2014 to 2024, which suggests he could do the same for those who Trump may seek to prosecute for past indiscretions.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the White House for comment but did not receive a response.
