President Biden said in a new interview that he had not yet decided whether to issue preemptive pardons to critics of President-elect Trump, such as former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) or Anthony Fauci.
“Well, a little bit of it depends on who he puts in what positions,” Biden told USA Today in an interview published Wednesday.
“So you haven’t decided yet. You’re still assessing this issue?” USA Today’s Susan Page asked.
“Well, no, I have not. For example, I think there are certain people like, if he were to, I don’t want to name their names,” Biden said, briefly going off the record with Page. He noted his administration was following through with clemency for those sentenced over powder cocaine use.
Some Democrats have suggested Biden should preemptively pardon individuals who might be targeted by the incoming Trump administration, such as members of the House panel that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
There is particular concern among Democrats over Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, who has previously spoken about targeting the so-called “deep state.”
Some individuals have rebuffed the idea of receiving a pardon, however, such as former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), both of whom served on the Jan. 6 committee.
“The second you take a pardon and it looks like you’re guilty of something — I’m guilty of nothing besides bringing the truth to the American people,” Kinzinger said Monday.
