WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden indicated on Friday that he is still weighing the decision to issue pardons for individuals who have faced criticism or threats from President-elect Donald Trump.
Speaking with the media at the White House, Biden stated that he and his team are closely monitoring the language used by Trump and his associates concerning their political adversaries and issues surrounding his legal controversies.
“The direction in which Trump has been speaking in the last few days will influence what he intends to do,” Biden remarked. “The concept that he would retaliate against those who do not align with his perceived policies for his own advantage is completely unacceptable.”
Biden has only ten days remaining in his term, and as an institutionalist, he is focusing on reinstating some of the traditional norms that were disrupted by his predecessor-turned-successor. However, the idea of issuing preemptive pardons for either real or alleged offenses tied to Trump’s critics that may garner scrutiny from the upcoming administration would test the boundaries of presidential authority in unprecedented ways.
Trump has publicly targeted figures such as Republican Liz Cheney, the former Congresswoman from Wyoming, and Democratic Representative Bennie Thompson from Mississippi. Both played pivotal roles in leading the House committee tasked with investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot involving Trump supporters. Trump has also directed his ire towards special counsel Jack Smith, who has brought charges against him concerning actions taken to overturn the 2020 election results.
Biden, who has been the subject of Trump’s claim that he should be incarcerated, dismissed the idea that he would pardon himself. “What would I be pardoning myself for?” he questioned with disbelief. “No, I have no intention of pardoning myself for anything. I haven’t committed any wrongdoing.”
Former Representative Adam Kinzinger, a Republican who served on the committee investigating the January 6 insurrection, expressed skepticism regarding the likelihood of receiving a pardon from Biden during a recent appearance on CNN.
“I get the rationale behind it as Trump has openly indicated he will target everyone,” he said. “However, the moment you accept a pardon, it may imply that you are guilty of something — but I am innocent aside from revealing the truth to the American public and, in doing so, causing embarrassment to Donald Trump.”
During his comments to reporters, Biden also criticized the decision by Meta, the parent company of Facebook, to discontinue fact-checking on its platform, labeling it as “extremely regrettable” and calling it “against the principles of American justice.”
The choice to replace third-party fact-checking with user-generated “community notes,” akin to the approach on X, the platform owned by Trump supporter Elon Musk, represents yet another instance of a media organization adapting to the forthcoming administration. This change coincides with the fourth anniversary of Mark Zuckerberg’s prohibition of Trump from his platforms following the Capitol attack.
Biden remarked, “Do you think it makes no difference that they allow misinformation to spread? Such content reaches millions of readers and is simply untrue. I really don’t comprehend what that represents. It fundamentally contradicts everything that America stands for. Our goal should be to communicate the truth.”