President Joe Biden might give Liz Cheney and Anthony Fauci preemptive pardons, according to an interview the president gave to USA Today’s Susan Page.
Receiving a preemptive pardon would indicate an admission of guilt, although some Democrats claim a preemptive pardon would only be intended to block President-elect Donald Trump from cleaning up Washington.
In the interview, Biden said preemptive pardons are on the table for his allies, including Cheney and Fauci, Page reported Wednesday:
Biden said he is considering preemptive pardons for public figures such as former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney and former senior health official Dr. Anthony Fauci who have been threatened with investigation and prosecution by incoming president Donald Trump.
When Biden met with Trump in the Oval Office a week after the November election, he urged the president-elect not to go forward with threats to target those who have criticized him or, in Cheney’s case, helped lead efforts to impeach him.
“I tried to make clear that there was no need, and it was counterintuitive for his interest to go back and try to settle scores,” Biden said. How did Trump respond? “He didn’t say, ‘No, I’m going to …’ You know. He didn’t reinforce it. He just basically listened.”