Ruth Marcus, associate editor at The Washington Post, warns President Biden in a new column that he should abandon the idea of preemptive pardons for government officials who have criticized President-elect Donald Trump's bad side.
Following reports that the Biden White House is considering pardoning Trump's political enemies so that the Justice Department cannot go after them once he returns to office, Marcos urged the president to rein in his Washington Post columnSaying the move will inspire future presidents to abuse their pardon power.
“Such a move by Biden would set an unfortunate precedent, and will likely be repeated by some future presidents seeking to protect their allies from retaliation,” she wrote.
Who else would ask for forgiveness after saving Hunter from judgment?
Ruth Marcus, associate editor of The Washington Post, urged President Biden not to pardon President-elect Trump's political enemies. ((AP Photo/Julia Nickinson and Evan Vucci))
After Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden Of any crime he “committed or may have committed” from January 1, 2014, to December 1, 2024, reports began circulating that the president was considering preemptively pardoning some of Trump's prominent political opponents.
Politico reported last week that the White House is currently discussing pardons for Dr. Anthony Fauci, Sen.-elect Adam Schiff, Democrat of California, and former Rep. Liz Cheney, Republican of Wyoming.
The outlet noted that White House adviser Ed Siskel is Arranging discussions about a potential pardon with several of Biden's top aides, including Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, although Biden himself has not yet been part of the talks.
Marcos said that although Trump has threatened to go after these and other individuals upon his return, it is not worth a preemptive pardon.
Biden aides are considering the possibility of granting Adam Schiff, Anthony Fauci and Liz Cheney a possible protective pardon, according to Politico. (Getty Images)
“Desperate times call for desperate measures. But not as desperate as President Joe Biden issuing preemptive pardons to government officials and others at risk of prosecution by the incoming Trump administration,” she wrote.
Marcus expressed that Trump targeting his opponents is a “dangerous possibility” and that it is possible that he could abuse the pardon power himself, but she stressed that Biden should not bite.
“However, granting broad preemptive clemency, no matter how tempting, would be a mistake,” she advised, explaining that it would be one of the most sweeping pardons in U.S. history and would only pave the way for more pardons in the future.
“Such a pardon — issued long before any criminal charges were brought — is without parallel in U.S. history, and certainly not on a scale that could include protecting officials from prosecution by the Trump administration,” the associate editor added.
Click here for more media and cultural coverage
A photo taken on November 29, 2024 shows US President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden exit a bookstore while shopping in Nantucket, Massachusetts on November 29, 2024. Biden officially pardoned Hunter, who was facing sentencing in two criminal cases related to tax evasion and gun purchases. Fireworks. (Mandel and/AFP via Getty Images)
Fox News Digital's Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
