President Biden said he is still considering preemptive pardons for political enemies of President-elect Donald Trump, such as former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and others. Anthony Fauci, during his last interview with a print publication before leaving the White House.
The interview, conducted over the weekend in the Oval Office by USA Today Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page, was published Wednesday morning. During the debate, Biden told Page he was still unsure whether to offer preemptive pardons to potential Trump targets, including Cheney, Fauci and others.
During the interview, Biden added that when he met with Trump after his election victory in November, he urged the president-elect not to “try to settle scores.”
“He didn’t say, ‘No, I’m going to…’ You know. He didn’t amplify it. He just basically listened,” Biden told Page.
With smoke from wildfires obscuring the Washington Monument in the distance, President Biden walks across the South Lawn as he leaves the White House for a day trip to New York City on June 29, 2023 in Washington, DC (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Reports of potential preemptive pardons for people who could face Trump’s political wrath began to emerge after Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, after he was convicted of a gun and tax felony. The pardon came after Biden said he did not considering such a move.
Biden continued to hand out pardons and commutations during the final days of his presidency. Last month, he set a record for the largest single-day pardon when he mitigated the penalties of approximately 1,500 people in mid-December.
Some Democrats they warned that the move to issue additional broad pardons for Trump’s political targets — on Biden’s departure — could set a dangerous precedent. Meanwhile, others have publicly advocated for pardons out of fear of what Trump might do.
President Biden and son Hunter Biden leave a bookstore while shopping in Nantucket, Massachusetts on November 29, 2024. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
One of the public officials Biden reportedly considered for one of the preemptive pardons, Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., told CNN on Monday that he does not want to see any president doling out broad-based, blanket pardons in the future. However, Schiff stopped short of saying whether he would reject such a pardon if offered.
BIDEN CLAIMES HE ‘MEANT WHAT I SAID’ PROMISES NOT TO LOCK HUNTER, HOPE IT DOESN’T SET A PRECEDENT
Other lawmakers, such as Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., have signaled support for Biden’s issuance of preemptive pardons.
From left to right, Senator Adam Schiff, Ph.D. Anthony Fauci and former Rep. Liz Cheney are being considered by Biden aides for potential preemptive pardons, Politico writes. (Getty Images)
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“I think Trump will without a doubt try to act in a dictatorial way, in a fascist way, in a vengeful way. [way his] the first year … toward individuals he believes have hurt him,” Markey told Boston Public Radio after Trump’s election victory in November. “If it’s clear by January 19th that [revenge] is his intent, then I would recommend that President Biden provide those preemptive pardons to people, because that’s really what our country is going to need next year.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but had not heard back by press time.
