Just weeks before the end of his presidency, Joe Biden issued a full and unconditional pardon for his son, Hunter Biden, covering any federal crimes committed over an extensive 11-year period.
Now, with Trump’s inauguration just around the corner, fears of what the incoming administration might choose to investigate regarding the Biden presidency have sparked further high-level discussions about “preemptive pardons” for other shady individuals.
That is especially true after Trump’s recent announcement of Kash Patel as the incoming FBI Director.
According to reports, the discussions have centered around issuing pardons for individuals like Dr. Anthony Fauci, former Representative Liz Cheney, and Senator-elect Adam Schiff.
The idea of preemptive pardons is not new but is rarely exercised, raising significant ethical and legal questions.
Biden To Issue Pardons To Those Most Likely To Be Targeted By A Trump DOJ
Those very specific names seem to be an indicator of who the White House views as a rich target for investigation. It also appears to be a tacit admission that they are viewed in the eyes of the public as guilty on some matters.
Fauci became a lightning rod for criticism during the COVID-19 crisis. According to critics, he perjured himself in congressional testimony regarding statements on gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Some also claim that certain types of research was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under Fauci’s leadership.
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has been a very vocal critic.
Schiff and Cheney, meanwhile, were both instrumental in investigations concerning President-elect Trump. Investigations that ultimately were proven to be blatant partisan witch hunts.
Cheney played a key role in the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot, which used specious evidence to create a false media narrative about insurrection and ultimately led to jail time for multiple Trump associates who refused to cooperate with the circus.
Schiff was a leading figure in the investigations into Trump’s alleged ties with Russia during and after his presidency, including leading the first impeachment against him.
Schiff repeatedly misled the public and abused his position to leak selective information.
The Shame Of The Biden Presidency
As Biden’s presidency draws to a close, the decision on whether to issue preemptive pardons would define his time by a controversial use of presidential power to protect political allies.
But then, it’s already been defined by his overt willingness to use controversial power to weaponize the federal government to go against political opponents.
The administration remains tight-lipped about the outcome of these discussions about preemptive pardons. And if we’re being honest, President Biden probably has no idea they are currently ongoing. These are rogue staffers, most likely, who were rogue his entire presidency and are now desperately trying to save their own skin and the skin of their muses in Fauci, Schiff, and Cheney.
“Biden’s aides are deeply concerned about a range of current and former officials who could find themselves facing inquiries and even indictments,” Politico reports.
“The White House officials … are carefully weighing the extraordinary step of handing out blanket pardons to those who’ve committed no crimes, both because it could suggest impropriety, only fueling Trump’s criticisms, and because those offered preemptive pardons may reject them.”
If Biden grants these people pardons, they should be investigated at the state level, where a presidential pardon has no standing. Or the Trump administration should sue them into oblivion.
These people, Fauci in particular, have done more harm and literally cost people’s lives and livelihoods at a rate that is incalculable.
