Headline Roundup • December 6th, 2024
Will Biden Use Preemptive Pardons?
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The White House is reportedly considering offering blanket pardons to current and former officials before Kash Patel takes over the FBI.
The Details: President Biden could issue pardons for Dr. Anthony Fauci and those who served on the Jan. 6 committee, such as Sen.-elect Adam Schiff (D-CA) and former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY). Patel has said he would pursue Trump's critics and published a "public enemies" list in his book, but pardoning those who have not committed crimes could suggest wrongdoing and fuel Trump's claims further. The White House declined to comment on the discussions, but did not deny that they were ongoing.
Key Quotes: Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA) supported the idea of blanket pardons, saying Patel's enemy list "is no hypothetical threat." Schiff, however, said, he thought the pardons "would seem defensive and unnecessary."
For Context: Preemptive pardons have been issued in the past. President Gerald Ford granted his predecessor President Nixon a full pardon over the Watergate scandal, President George H.W. Bush pardoned former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger before a trial over the Iran-Contra affair, and President Jimmy Carter preemptively pardoned Vietnam draft-dodgers in 1977.
How the Media Covered It: Fox News (Right bias) led with Schiff's comments, inquiring whether the beneficiaries would accept preemptive pardons. While Politico (Lean Left) led with concerns that officials could be targeted for criticizing Trump.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Outgoing President Joe Biden is said to be considering preemptive pardons for a number of officials and allies who could be targeted by Donald Trump when he takes up the presidency next month.
Historically, pardons are issued to those who have already been accused of specific crimes, such as in the case of Biden recently pardoning his son Hunter Biden. Preemptive pardons, though unusual, do have a historical precedent.
Pardons for crimes that people have not yet been accused of are currently being deliberated by White House lawyers, and Biden has discussed the issue...
President Biden's White House is reportedly considering preemptive pardons for Dr. Anthony Fauci, Sen.-elect Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.
White House counsel Ed Siskel is arranging discussions about the potential pardons with several other senior Biden aides, including chief of staff Jeff Zients, Politico reported, citing senior Democrats familiar with the talks.
The president, who granted a sweeping pardon to his son, Hunter, for the past 11 years of crimes or potential crimes earlier this week, reportedly has not been roped in on the deliberations, according to Politico.
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Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
President Joe Biden’s senior aides are conducting a vigorous internal debate over whether to issue preemptive pardons to a range of current and former public officials who could be targeted with President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House, according to senior Democrats familiar with the discussions.
Biden’s aides are deeply concerned about a range of current and former officials who could find themselves facing inquiries and even indictments, a sense of alarm which has only accelerated since Trump last weekend announced the appointment of Kash Patel to lead the FBI. Patel has publicly...
