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The Debate Over Blanket Pardons: Biden’s Strategy to Navigate the Trump Transition

In Citizen
January 19, 2025

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The Biden administration is contemplating granting blanket pardons before Trump’s promised retaliation. Officials in the White House are concerned that Trump’s appointment of strongly partisan individuals to key law enforcement positions suggests he will seek retribution against those he views as adversaries.

Written by Peter Baker and Erica L. Green

Reporting live from the

President Biden’s team is discussing the possibility of granting mass pardons to a group of individuals who are seen as enemies of President-elect Donald J. Trump. This is being considered in order to shield them from the retaliation that Trump has promised once he assumes office.

The proposal is to grant pardons in advance to a group of current and former government officials for any potential crimes committed over a number of years, in order to prevent the next president from carrying out a promised campaign of retaliation.

White House officials are concerned that President Trump’s choices for top Justice Department positions suggest he may act on his promises of seeking revenge, even though they don’t believe the potential recipients have committed any crimes. Even if an investigation doesn’t lead to charges, it could still last for a long time, leading to significant legal expenses and harming their professional futures.

The idea of blanket pardons, which was first reported by Politico, is currently being discussed mainly among staff members. Although President Biden has mentioned it to senior members of his team, the details are being kept confidential by those familiar with the matter. This discussion follows President Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter in order to prevent him from going to prison for gun and tax offenses.

During a briefing on Friday, Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, chose not to talk about blanket pardons. However, she mentioned that President Biden is looking into potential executive clemency actions before his term ends. She stated that the president is currently reviewing his options and more information will be provided in the future.

Mr. Biden introduced his approach by pardoning his son, clearing him of all past and potential crimes dating back to 2014. This move is likely to prevent any future investigations or charges by the Justice Department under Mr. Trump related to allegations that were not pursued by the current prosecutor during Trump’s presidency.

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