Biden Considering Preemptive Pardons for Fauci, Cheney, Others

Joe Biden admitted in an interview that he is still considering preemptive pardons for public officials who may have committed crimes during his presidency, including Anthony Fauci and disgraced former Congresswoman Liz Cheney.

As reported by Fox News, Biden revealed his intentions in an interview with USA Today, which was released on Wednesday. Biden told interviewer Susan Page that when he met with President-elect Donald Trump shortly after his victory in the November election, he tried to tell the incoming 47th president to not “try to settle scores” upon returning to office.

“He didn’t say, ‘No, I’m going to…’ You know,” said Biden. “He didn’t reinforce it. He just basically listened.”

Biden’s sudden and last-minute use of presidential pardons started with the pardoning of his own son Hunter, who had been convicted on felony charges of gun law violations and was facing conviction on tax evasion charges. Biden had previously said he would not pardon his own son, thus leading to widespread and bipartisan backlash after his reversal.

In December, Biden set the new record for the highest number of pardons and acts of clemency in a single day, with nearly 1,500 pardons issued on December 12th.

Democrats have criticized Biden’s sudden flood of pardons, warning that doing so would only give President-elect Trump a stronger argument to justify his own planned pardons upon returning to office, including mass pardons for those charged and convicted for their participation in the peaceful protests at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, 2021.

One official who is also being considered for a preemptive pardon is Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who was censured in 2023 by the House of Representatives for the numerous false statements and unproven accusations he made against President Trump during the “Russian collusion” hoax. Ironically, Schiff himself said, in response to the reports of a potential pardon for himself, that he does not support every president simply giving out mass, blanket pardons.