What Are the Implications of Biden's Preemptive Pardons?

On his last day in office, President Biden signed a slew of preemptive pardons including Anthony Fauci, Gen. Mark Milley, members of the Jan. 6 congressional committee, and several members of his own family.

From the Left: Many voices on the left compared Biden's pardons to President Trump's pardons of the Jan. 6 rioters. While some argued that Trump's pardons were worse and Biden's were simply disappointing, an MSNBC writer (Left bias) said that Biden was arguably worse because “in the long run, Biden’s pardoning the innocent could spark a democracy-damaging cycle of pardons by Trump and presidents to come.” In Mediaite (Lean Left), however, a writer said that Trump and Biden's pardons are not comparable because Trump was at fault in both cases. Biden's pardons of the Jan. 6 committee and his own family were required because of Trump's threats. Biden's family was subject to a “years-long smear campaign” that “Trump and Republicans tried to concoct into a scandal that, I repeat once again, never went anywhere,” but no one comparing the presidents' pardons highlights this fact, he argued. 

From the Right: Jonathan Turley (Lean Right) argued Biden's pardons were proof of his family's corruption, saying they were “the ultimate sign of contempt for the intelligence of the American public and the integrity of his office.” The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board (Lean Right) said that Biden's pardons opened the door to further abuses of power. “The pardons are an ignominious final act by a President who has never lived up to his self-advertising as a protector of democratic norms,” the board added.