Posted on 01/12/2025 3:41:29 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
WASHINGTON — President Biden says he is still considering whether to give pardons to people who have been criticized or threatened by President-elect Donald Trump.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday, Biden said he and his aides were playing close attention to rhetoric from Trump and his allies about his political opponents and those involved in his various criminal and civil woes.
“It depends on some of the language and expectations that Trump broadcast in the last couple days here as to what he’s going to do,” Biden said. “The idea that he would punish people for not adhering to what he thinks should be policy related to his well-being is just outrageous.”
Biden, long known as an institutionalist, has just days left in office, and he has been using his waning time to restore some of the transition norms broken by his predecessor and now successor. But issuing preemptive pardons — for actual or imagined offenses by Trump’s critics that could be investigated or prosecuted by the incoming administration — would stretch the powers of the presidency in untested ways.
Trump’s frequent targets include Republican Liz Cheney, the former Wyoming congresswoman, and Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat. They led the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob. Trump has aimed particular criticism at former special counsel Jack Smith, who charged him over his efforts to overturn his 2020 defeat and other alleged crimes.
Biden, who Trump has said should be jailed, scoffed at the notion that he would pardon himself. “What would I pardon myself for?” he asked incredulously. “No, I have no contemplation of pardoning myself for anything. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
He’s going to pardon everyone.Thats why I wish Trump would keep quiet until after the 20th.
Trump needs to pardon every Jay Sixer and give them a Medal of Freedom. Show JO JO the Fag he isn’t as bigtime as he thinks he is.
Do you mean ‘everyone’ everyone? I mean I got a parking ticket I’d like to see go away. And library fees too. 😁👍
If they haven’t done anything wrong, why do all these Alt Leftists need pardons?
Biden is such a garbage human being it’s hard to know where to begin.
I don’t think Potemkin Joe will do any more pardons for potential future crimes. He is already at great risk of someone bringing the Hunter pardon to court as an unconstitutional abuse of presidential power. Which it is. Doing more of them would almost beg for someone to push back on this abuse, so Trump or future presidents can’t use the pardon power that way.
How can they be pardoned for things they’ve not yet been accused of? Trump has never proposed this big a blanket pardon.
He’s going to blanket pardon thousands.
Trump needs to say and do what he thinks best.
Wouldn’t be surprised to see him wait until the morning of the 20th to dump this last middle finger to America...
People can bring it to court all they want. It won’t go anywhere.
The Constitution confers plenary authority to the President to issues pardons, etc. Pardoning Hunter is not unconstitutional, and cannot be overturned by the Judiciary or Legislature.
It’ll happen on January 20th morning, to piss Trump off to the max.
I understand the power - My point is a presidential pardon is for actual criminal conviction(s). The abuse is pardoning someone for crimes they may do or have done. I know Nixon was pardoned without a conviction but I think if Joe or whoever is running the show additional pardons of this nature should viewed as an abuse of power.
https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2024.12.04-SSCP-FINAL-REPORT-ANS.pdf
Covid report
Jan 20, 2025, before Noon, is going to be a very busy day....
“Biden is such a garbage human being it’s hard to know where to begin.”
Dr. Jill’s fault, in part.
good grief, just get this loser presidency over!
I now understand; thanks for explaining.
Sigh, you know damn well what I mean.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.