Lame-duck President Joe Biden is reportedly considering “preemptive pardons” for some of America’s most controversial government figures.
Reports are emerging that Biden’s top aides are weighing the idea of issuing preemptive pardons to several current and former officials.
The move would take place ahead of President Donald Trump’s inauguration next month.
Among the names up for consideration are several top officials accused of major corruption against the American people.
Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), Sen.-elect Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Dr. Anthony Fauci are among those being discussed as potentially needing a pardon before Trump takes office, according to Politico.
Fauci, the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and Biden’s ex-chief medical advisor, has been accused by Republicans and watchdog groups of lying to Congress about the origins of COVID-19.
He is also accused of using a private email account to do government business
Additionally, it is widely believed that Fauci played a role in the development of COVID-19 in a Chinese lab and then subsequently covered up its origin.
Cheney, an outspoken critic of the president-elect, was a leading figure in the Democrats’ anti-Trump “investigation” into the Jan. 6, 2021 protests at the Capitol Building.
Schiff, a congressman elected to the U.S. Senate last month, has long peddled false accusations about the Trump campaign’s alleged collusion with Russia during the 2016 election cycle.
He repeatedly appeared on national television and lied about having “evidence” to support his claims.
The pardon discussions have been spearheaded by White House counsel Ed Siskel.
Other top West Wing officials, including chief of staff Jeff Zients, have also been involved in the deliberations, the outlet reported on Wednesday.
One of the concerns being weighed is whether doling out blanket pardons to people who haven’t been charged with a crime would suggest impropriety.
White House officials are also aware that those being offered preemptive pardons may reject them.
The discussions were sparked after the White House was lobbied by congressional Democrats, according to Politico.
The fears among Democrats stem from anxieties that Trump will launch criminal investigations into corrupt officials when he assumes office that could result in indictments.
On the campaign trail, however, Trump downplayed having any interest in retribution.
Fox News host Sean Hannity asked Trump if he was planning potential indictments against Biden after he leaves office.
“The country doesn’t want that,” he told Hannity in June.
Trump also noted in several public appearances that he opposed prosecuting his 2016 Democratic rival Hillary Clinton during his term of office.
The president-elect, who regularly denounces what he calls the “weaponization” of the Justice Department under the Biden-Harris administration, even suggested on the campaign trail that he would be open to pardoning the president’s son, Hunter.
Hunter received a blanket pardon from his father on Sunday.
The pardon absolves Hunter Biden of offenses committed between Jan. 1, 2014, and Dec. 1, 2024.
However, it also includes any crimes for which he has not been charged.
The pardon came after repeated declarations by the White House and the president that Hunter would not be receiving one.
The first son pleaded guilty in September to nine criminal counts related to $1.4 million in unpaid taxes.
He was also found guilty of three federal gun charges in June after he was charged with possession of a firearm while addicted to illegal drugs.
The president claims he issued the pardon because Hunter was “treated differently” by his own Justice Department.
READ MORE – Joe Biden Pardoned Son Hunter to Save Himself, White House Insider Reveals
