There is a lot of speculation that President Biden might issue BROAD preemptive pardons to cover any and everyone who have expressed opposition to President Trump. The idea is based on an insane and paranoid idea that the future Department of Justice will be arresting, indicting and jailing half of Washington. Put that one in the file with the Bogus Russian conspiracy theory and the absurd end of the American Republic if Trump wins the narrative.
According to the perma-pissed anti-Trumps, the pardons would include Democrat office holders, such as Senator-elect Adam Schiff, California Governor Newsom — and anyone who served on the January 6th Committee. It would include Republican apostates, such as former Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney. Pardons would be issued for writers for the Washington Post, the New York Times, The Atlantic, MSNBC, CNN, etc. It would include bureaucrats from the FBI, the Intelligence agencies and guys like Dr. Anthony Fauci. It would most certainly include members of the Biden family — and perhaps even a self-pardon for Lunch Bucket Joe.
We do not know if Biden is planning such as massive pardon, but those on the left are suggesting he do it – and the folks and institutions named above have all been mentioned as possible recipients. Biden has not publicly – or even privately – rejected issuing such pardons, so it is reasonable to believe that such a plan is at least on the table.
Most of the folks likely to receive pardons are not known to be guilty of any federal crimes – or even suspected or under investigation. Some, however, are.
But what about all the unnecessary pardons in terms of the recipients? They will all appear to have something to hide. Biden will besmirch their reputations for his own political benefit. But they do have the right to reject pardons. I know I would. And that would make Biden look craftier and more corrupt than ever.
And then there is the issue of the pardoning process itself. Yes, it has been used by past presidents as favors to family members, friends and donors. Such political pardons, however, have been fewer than the more deserving pardons based on the goodness or rehabilitation of the individual. And as far as I can tell, no pardons have ever been issued to people without indictments, convictions, jail sentences, under investigation – or with the real potential of being charged.
Since the pardons would be predicated on what Trump’s Justice Department MIGHT do, they would become the most partisan political acts of clemency in American history. Pardoning a family member or political ally is bad enough, but to use the pardoning power based on partisan policies is a much different deal.
Pardoning masses of people would be a gross interference of justice. There may very well be individuals among the class of the pardoned who have committed yet undiscovered federal crimes—and who deserve to be brought to justice.
If Biden goes ahead with this cynical, flagrant and partisan plan, he will commit an abuse of the system on a grand scale – on steroids. It would threaten the pardon process itself. There are already those who would like to see the practice abolished for presidents and governors. Massive political pardons would give credence to their cause.
I have rated Biden as relatively inconsequential in terms of presidential legacies – another James Buchanan or Calvin Coolidge. His pardon of his son Hunter further damages his legacy. But he obviously had to do it – not only to rescue Hunter from sentencing and a criminal record (possible jail time), but to attempt to cut off the ongoing congressional and Department of Justice investigations into all that Ukraine and Russian money that enriched the Biden family during Joe’s tenure as Vice President and President.
If Biden were to issue pardons to people not remotely under criminal investigation – but merely out of a fear that they could be some day – would give Biden an uptick in historic notoriety. He would be not only judged as a mediocre President but a corrupt one as well. He may find his lame duck status being relabeled as a “daffy duck” President.
So, there ‘tis.