President Biden’s staff is currently considering the possibility of issuing blanket pardons for a group of individuals seen as enemies of President-elect Donald J. Trump in order to protect them from potential retribution once Trump assumes office. The idea behind these blanket pardons would be to preemptively grant executive clemency to current and former government officials for any possible crimes they may have committed over the years, effectively putting a stop to any campaign of reprisals promised by the incoming administration.
While White House officials do not believe that these individuals have actually committed crimes, they are concerned that Trump’s selections for key Justice Department positions indicate that he may follow through on his threats of seeking revenge. The fear is that even investigations that do not result in charges could drag on for months or years, costing the individuals involved significant amounts in legal fees and could damage their career prospects.
The discussion of blanket pardons is mainly at a staff level, although President Biden has discussed the matter with senior team members. This consideration comes on the heels of Biden granting clemency to his son Hunter, wiping away not only the charges he was convicted of, but also any potential crimes he may have been involved in since 2014. This move is seen as a way to prevent Trump’s Justice Department from pursuing Hunter Biden on any allegations that may not warrant charges.
Such widespread clemency, covering theoretical crimes over a decade, is unprecedented in recent history. The last comparable instance dates back to the Watergate era when President Ford pardoned President Nixon for any crimes, even though he had not been charged. The idea of preemptively granting pardons to government officials out of fear of partisan vindictiveness from a successor is a novel concept in American politics.
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