President Joe Biden is poised to utilize his executive clemency power once more before concluding his term in office next week. This move could involve granting pre-emptive pardons to individuals who may face reprisal from the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump, as per a senior White House official and a source familiar with the deliberations.
As of Friday, the White House official disclosed that Biden has yet to reach a final decision regarding pardons for individuals falling into this category. If the clemency actions are given the green light, they are anticipated to occur during the final moments of Biden’s presidency – either on Sunday or prior to noon on Monday. Nevertheless, the exact timing remains subject to change.
During his electoral campaign, President Trump made clear his intentions to pursue legal action against his political adversaries had he secured a second term in office. Previous reports from NBC News suggested that Biden was contemplating pre-emptive pardons for potential targets of such retribution, including figures like Senator Adam Schiff from California, who played a managerial role during Trump’s first impeachment; Dr. Anthony Fauci, a former prominent infectious diseases expert who clashed with Trump over his management of the Covid-19 crisis; and former Representative Liz Cheney from Wyoming, who served as vice chair of the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection and actively campaigned against Trump alongside Vice President Kamala Harris last year.
Representative Bennie Thompson from Mississippi, the ex-chairman of the House Jan. 6 committee, expressed his willingness to accept a pardon if offered, stating to CBS News that he would indeed receive it if presented. However, a spokesperson for Thompson did not immediately respond to requests for comments on Friday.
In a statement released on Friday to announce his most significant single-day clemency act, Biden hinted at the possibility of further clemency measures before his departure from office on Monday. “I am proud of my track record on clemency and will continue to assess additional commutations and pardons,” he asserted.
Biden has, in fact, issued more individual pardons and commutations compared to any of his predecessors. In December, he granted a pardon to his son Hunter Biden just as the latter was set to be sentenced on federal gun and tax charges. The President justified his decision by stating that “raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice.”
Across the past few decades, several U.S. Presidents have resorted to issuing pre-emptive pardons, with notable examples including George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter.
