Posted on 01/08/2025 9:48:33 AM PST by Red Badger
The president had been reported to be considering issuing pardons to people who have not been charged with a crime.
President Joe Biden in a Jan. 5 interview confirmed that he is considering whether to issue preemptive pardons.
White House officials have said that Biden plans to issue additional pardons and commutations before his term ends.
Preemptive pardons would differ from those Biden has already issued and those issued by other presidents in their final days in office. They would protect people from prosecution for charges that have not yet been brought.
“Some of your supporters have encouraged you to issue preemptive pardons to people like Liz Cheney and Anthony Fauci ... will you do that?” USA TODAY’s Susan Page asked Biden during the interview.
The individuals suggested have drawn criticism from President-elect Donald Trump, who is set to take office again on Jan. 20.
Biden referenced a meeting with Trump at the White House in November 2024.
“I tried to make it clear that there was no need, and it was counterintuitive for his interest to go back and try to settle scores,” Biden said, recounting the conversation they had.
Trump did not respond directly to that advice, according to the president.
“He didn’t. But he didn’t say, ‘No, I’m going to...’ You know. He didn’t reinforce it. He just basically listened,” Biden said.
“So you haven’t decided yet. You’re still assessing this issue?” Page asked.
“No, I haven’t,” Biden responded. “A little bit of it depends on who he puts in what positions,” Biden said. The Trump transition team did not respond to a request for comment. Inquiries sent to the employers of Cheney and Fauci were not returned.
Biden in late 2024 pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, whom a jury convicted of federal gun charges and who pleaded guilty to intentionally failing to pay taxes. Biden later pardoned another 39 people and commuted the sentences of some 1,500 others, including 37 death row prisoners. One individual floated as a possible preemptive pardon candidate is Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state. Clinton, who mishandled confidential emails and whose campaign funded opposition research against Trump, was included in a list compiled by Kash Patel, Trump’s nominee for FBI director. The list, Patel has said, are participants in the so-called deep state. Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton, has said that he does not think Biden should preemptively pardon his wife. “I hope he won’t do that,” he said during a recent television appearance on Dec. 11. A Clinton Foundation spokesperson did not return a request for comment. Biden this month awarded Cheney, who was mentioned during the interview, a Presidential Citizens Medal for her work as vice chair of a House panel that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. Biden said Cheney and other former officials who received the medal in the ceremony had “dedicated their careers to serving our democracy” and “served in difficult times with honor, decency and ensure our democracy delivers.”
Ford supposedly carried around in his wallet text from the Burdick case.
https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/236/79/
“There are substantial differences between legislative immunity and a pardon; the latter carries an imputation of guilt and acceptance of a confession of it, while the former is noncommittal, and tantamount to silence of the witness.”
Wow.
I didn’t even know there was such a thing until now.
So we could use “pardoned” former XXX when referring to that person. Just like the Libs with Trump…..
The States can still go after Fauci-the pardon would only be Federal
It's not a federal crime to murder your neighbor but a state crime.
My thoughts exactly
“Pre-emptive” pardon is misleading. The pardon is for past acts. What Biden really is doing is issuing a blanket pardon for anything Fauci or Cheney did in the past that the Republicans conceivably could charge them for. That is dangerous. The pardon would have to be broad and vague. If it is broad and vague, it could cover anything. Biden could intend to cover Fauci for his COVID response, but what if Fauci committed bank fraud, or beat his wife, or some other illegal act unrelated to COVID. He’d be covered. Hopefully someone challenges the constitutionality of the blanket pardons that Biden handed out to his son and may hand out to Fauci and Cheney. They are unprecedented.
Yes.
Yes.
I wrote an article on this.
That was a pardon after the fact. Not a preemptive pardon, whatever that is. Lawyers are going to argue this for years I bet
If they happen Congress needs to bring them in for questioning. No 5th amendment rights— if they lie- send them to jail. If nothing it can expose what really happened.
Guess we will have to go after the low level soldiers, while the pardoned have to rat them out. This will be good optics.
Would they also be immune from civil liabilities?
Preemptive means before the person is charged or convicted.
issues preemptive pardons for all illegals ...
On the bright side, if he (they) do this, it would be an admission that the recipients of the pardons ARE guilty of something serious..
You can’t pardon someone for a crime they haven’t been charged with yet.
"Blanket" pardons is a whole different critter, and is a legitimate issue for them to weigh in on.
There is no such thing as a “preemptive pardon”. You can only pardon something that has already happened.
What he means is permission to commit a crime, and he does not have the authority to grant that.
The man is obsessed with losing power, and with the real man who is about to have that power.
I will be relieved on Jan 20 the moment the power is passed on to Trump, and biden loses that power. He has done immense damage to this country. Much more that obammy did.
You aren’t understanding the terms. Nixon’s pardon was a preemptive pardon. He was never charged.
You aren’t using the terms correctly. A pardon will always be after the deed as no pardon can be granted before the deed is done.
Carter granted pardons to draft dodgers whether charged or not. He didnt pardon FUTURE draft dodgers.
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