The incoming Trump administration is reportedly causing panic within the walls of the Biden White House. Though Joe’s decision to pardon Hunter Biden ripped the rug from under liberals defending the president for not doing so, and neutralizing any criticism of Trump for when he issues pardons some might find disagreeable, the president’s staff is moving past that matter. They’re concerned about how the Trump Justice Department is going to behave, especially when it comes to Liz Cheney, Anthony Fauci, and Adam Schiff. There might be pardons to head off any supposed legal retribution at the pass (via Politico):
BREAKING: Biden White House considering preemptive pardons for those in Trump’s crosshairs, including Adam Schiff, Liz Cheney & Anthony Fauci - Politico
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) December 4, 2024
The White House officials, however, are carefully weighing the extraordinary step of handing out blanket pardons to those who’ve committed no crimes, both because it could suggest impropriety, only fueling Trump’s criticisms, and because those offered preemptive pardons may reject them.
The deliberations touch on pardoning those currently in office, elected and appointed, as well as former officials who’ve angered Trump and his loyalists.
Those who could face exposure include such members of Congress’ Jan. 6 Committee as Sen.-elect Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming. Trump has previously said Cheney “should go to Jail along with the rest of the Unselect Committee!” Also mentioned by Biden’s aides for a pardon is Anthony Fauci, the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who became a lightning rod for criticism from the right during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The West Wing deliberations have been organized by White House counsel Ed Siskel but include a range of other aides, including chief of staff Jeff Zients. The president himself, who was intensely focused on his son’s pardon, has not been brought into the broader pardon discussions yet, according to people familiar with the deliberations.
The conversations were spurred by Trump’s repeated threats and quiet lobbying by congressional Democrats, though not by those seeking pardons themselves. “The beneficiaries know nothing,” one well-connected Democrat told me about those who could receive pardons.
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The publication noted the sordid aspect of pardon season, while adding that no one should be shocked if many Democrats take two-faced positions, opposing preemptive pardons in public while hoping for such protections in private. Again, another activity that led to the rise of Trumpism in American politics concerning these shady deeds doled out by the well-connected and the elites.
The White House would not comment on this matter, but it did not deny that these discussions were taking place.
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