Transition of power from
Transition of power
Transition of power
Prom
Backed by
The Biden administration is reportedly considering issuing blanket pardons before President Trump leaves office, as they fear his appointment of partisan individuals to key law enforcement positions suggests he may seek retribution against those he sees as adversaries.
Written by Peter Baker and Erica L. Green.
Live updates from the
President Biden’s team is discussing the possibility of granting broad pardons to a group of individuals who are seen as enemies by President-elect Donald J. Trump. This is being considered in order to shield them from the retaliation Trump has promised once he assumes office.
The suggestion is to proactively grant pardons to a group of present and past government officials for any potential offenses committed over a span of years, thus preventing the incoming president from carrying out their vowed plan of retaliation.
Officials at the White House are concerned that President Trump’s choices for key positions in the Justice Department suggest he may act on his threats of seeking revenge, even though they do not believe the individuals under consideration have committed any crimes. They fear that even if an investigation does not lead to any charges, it could still go on for a long time, causing financial strain from legal fees and damaging their future career opportunities.
According to sources who requested anonymity, the topic of blanket pardons has been discussed primarily among staff members, although President Biden has also talked about it with senior members of his team. This discussion follows President Biden’s recent pardon of his son Hunter for gun and tax charges in order to prevent him from going to prison.
During a briefing on Friday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre avoided discussing the topic of blanket pardons. However, she mentioned that President Biden is looking into potential executive clemency actions before his term ends. Jean-Pierre stated that the president is currently reviewing options and more information will be provided in the future.
President Biden hinted at his strategy by pardoning his son, clearing him of all charges and any potential crimes he may have been involved in since 2014. This move is likely to prevent the Justice Department under Trump from pursuing Hunter Biden for any allegations that were not deemed worthy of charges by the prosecutor who has been investigating him since Trump’s first term.
We are experiencing difficulties in accessing the content of the article.
Kindly activate JavaScript in your browser’s settings.
We appreciate your understanding as we confirm your access. If you are currently in Reader mode, please close it and sign in to your Times account, or consider subscribing to access all of The Times content.
We appreciate your understanding as we confirm access.
Have you already signed up for a subscription? Please login to
Interested in having access to all content from The Times? Sign up
Prom
Index of Pages
Navigation for Site Information