The outgoing US administration fears revenge attacks against critics like former Republican lawmaker Liz Cheney.
US President Joe Biden is considering issuing blanket pardons to current and former officials who are at risk of being targeted by the new administration of President-elect Donald Trump.
The president has discussed preventative measures against possible revenge attacks with his top aides, but no decisions have yet been made, according to sources who spoke anonymously to the Associated Press and Reuters news agencies on Thursday.
The discussion accelerated after Trump typed Kash Patelwho promised retaliation against the president-elect’s critics for the role of FBI director, with the idea gaining further traction when Biden pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, on Sunday.
The sources revealed that fearful former officials had contacted the White House in an effort to avoid damaging and financially costly investigations, but their aides feared that granting immunity in cases where no crime had been committed committed cannot turn against them, prompting Trump and his leaders to declare themselves guilty. allies.
The U.S. Constitution gives the president broad pardon powers, but preemptive pardons for offenses that have not yet been charged are still untested.
Among those being considered is a former Republican lawmaker. Liz Cheneyan outspoken Trump critic, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who helped coordinate Biden’s COVID-19 response, and California Sen.-elect Adam Schiff, who led the first impeachment attempt against Trump.
Trump’s threats
Trump has previously released messages on social media calling for the imprisonment of Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, former Vice President Mike Pence and others. He also promoted a social media post suggesting he wanted military tribunals for alleged treason cases.
This preventive decision, reported for the first time by the newspaper Politico, would mark a new deployment of the constitutional powers of the president.
Trump reportedly considered the measure for himself and his supporters after a failed attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election led to riots at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Biden pardoned his son not only for his convictions for federal gun and tax violations, but for any potential federal offenses committed over an 11-year period, providing a template for additional protections that could be afforded to public officials.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters earlier this week that she would expect more pardons from Biden before his term ends.