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The Biden administration is contemplating issuing blanket pardons before Trump’s promised retaliation, as they believe his choices for key law enforcement roles suggest he will seek retribution against those he considers his adversaries.
Written by Peter Baker and Erica L. Green
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President Biden’s team is discussing the possibility of granting pardons to a group of individuals seen as adversaries by President-elect Donald J. Trump. This is being done to shield them from potential retaliation that Trump has mentioned he might pursue once he assumes office.
The plan is to proactively grant pardons to a group of present and past government officials for any potential offenses committed over several years, thus preventing the next president from carrying out revenge actions as promised during their campaign.
White House officials are concerned that the individuals being considered for top positions in the Justice Department by Mr. Trump may lead to investigations, even though they have not been accused of any crimes. They fear that these investigations, even if they do not result in charges, could last for a long time and financially burden the individuals with legal fees, as well as harm their career opportunities.
According to sources who wish to remain anonymous, discussions about blanket pardons have been mostly at a staff level, although President Biden has also talked about it with senior members of his team. This comes after Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, to prevent him from going to prison for gun and tax offenses.
During a briefing on Friday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre did not want to talk about blanket pardons. She did mention that President Biden is looking into potential executive clemency actions before his term ends. She stated that the president is reviewing possible next steps and more information will be shared in the future.
Mr. Biden gave a glimpse of his approach by pardoning his son, removing not only the charges he was found guilty of, but also any potential crimes he may have been involved in since 2014. This move is likely to prevent any potential investigations or charges against Hunter Biden by the Department of Justice under Mr. Trump, as the prosecutor who has been looking into him since Trump’s first term did not find enough evidence to bring charges.
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