Will Biden issue blanket pardons for Trump targets? White House refuses to rule it out
The IndependentSign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The question of whether Biden might grant unprecedented preemptive pardons to a range of public figures who might find themselves in the crosshairs of Donald Trump’s second administration remains unanswered. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Friday repeatedly refused to say whether Biden is even considering such a test of the president’s pardon power, which could theoretically be invoked to prevent the next administration from investigating or bringing charges against people known to be antagonists of the incoming president. The group being considered for preemptive relief could include current and former lawmakers from both parties, as well as former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases boss Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired US Army General Mark Milley, former Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney, California Senator-elect Adam Schiff, and other former Trump administration officials who have become critical of their former boss in the years since his first term ended in 2021. That list includes Schiff, as well as California Representative Eric Swalwell, Biden national security adviser Jake Sullivan, ex-domestic policy adviser Susan Rice, USAID administrator Samantha Power, as well as Milley, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Attorney General Merrick Garland, and Vice President Kamala Harris.