President Biden and his top aides are tinkering with the idea of issuing preemptive pardons to individuals they fear will be targeted by President-elect Donald Trump when he takes office.
There is a running list of potential pardon recipients, senior Democrats familiar with the plans told Politico, a news website in Washington.
One includes former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, who was a member of the Jan. 6 committee that looked into the Capitol riot. She has been an outspoken critic of Mr. Trump and lost reelection in 2022 to a Trump-backed Republican candidate. She also backed Vice President Kamala Harris in this election cycle, as did her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney.
Another Jan. 6 committee member on the list is Sen.-elect Adam B. Schiff, California Democrat. The committee’s final report recommended criminal charges against Mr. Trump.
Anthony Fauci, who led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic, is also on the list. He received a lot of criticism from the right over his handling of the pandemic and rejection of the theory that the virus leaked from a lab in China, which is now widely accepted.
Retired Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark A. Milley is also named, a source told ABC News. Gen. Milley, who held his position from 2019 to 2023, started to speak out against Mr. Trump during this election cycle, and in journalist Bob Woodward’s book, he called the president-elect a “fascist to the core.” He was also criticized by Republicans over the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
The considerations come after Mr. Biden announced a full pardon for his son Hunter Biden earlier this week. Hunter Biden’s pardon covers 11 years of any crimes he committed.
The pardon received backlash from Republicans and Democrats, but Mr. Biden said he did it because “in trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me — and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here.”
Mr. Biden and his aides aren’t the only ones who have thought this may be necessary. Rep. Brendan Boyle, Pennsylvania Democrat, called for Mr. Biden to issue blanket pardons.
“This is no hypothetical threat,” Mr. Boyle said in a statement Wednesday. “The people they’re targeting include law enforcement officers, military personnel, and others who have spent their lives protecting this country. These patriots shouldn’t have to live in fear of political retribution for doing what’s right. That’s why I’m urging President Biden to issue a blanket pardon for anyone unjustly targeted by this vindictive scheme.”
“The time for cautious restraint is over,” he said. “We must act with urgency to push back against these threats and prevent Trump from abusing his power.”
Mr. Trump has many times railed against his political enemies and the “deep state,” and he has made suggestive comments about going after them.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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