In his final interview with a print publication before leaving the White House, President Biden announced a preemptive attack on President-elect Donald Trump’s political opponents, including former Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney and Dr. Anthony Fauci. He said he was still considering a pardon.
The interview, conducted by USA Today’s Washington bureau chief Susan Page in the Oval Office over the weekend, was published Wednesday morning. Biden told Page during the debate that he was still unsure whether to grant preemptive pardons to potential Trump targets, including Cheney and Fauci.
Biden added in the interview that when he spoke with Trump after his November election victory, he urged the president-elect not to “try to score points.”
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“He didn’t say, ‘No, I…’ He didn’t emphasize it. He basically just listened,” Biden told Page.
President Biden leaves the White House for a day trip to New York City as wildfire smoke obscures the Washington Monument in the distance. June 29, 2023 in Washington, DC (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
After Biden pardoned his son Hunter, who was convicted of gun and tax felonies, reports began surfacing about possible pre-emptive pardons for people who could face Trump’s political wrath. The pardon came after Biden said he was not considering such measures.
Biden continued to issue pardons and commutations during the waning years of his presidency. Last month, he set a record for the largest single-day pardon by commuting the sentences of about 1,500 people in mid-December.
Some Democrats have warned that with Biden out of office, Trump’s move to grant additional broad pardons to political targets could set a dangerous precedent. On the other hand, some people are publicly advocating for a pardon out of fear of President Trump’s actions.
President Biden and his son Hunter Biden exit a bookstore while shopping in Nantucket, Massachusetts, on November 29, 2024. (Mandel Gann/AFP via Getty Images)
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., one of the public officials reportedly considering one of the preemptive pardons Biden is considering, told CNN on Monday that he would like to see all future presidents grant broad pardons. He said he didn’t want to see it. Blanket pardon. However, Schiff did not say whether he would decline such a pardon if offered.
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Others, such as Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, have signaled support for Biden to issue preemptive pardons.
From left to right, Sen. Adam Schiff, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and former Rep. Liz Cheney are being considered by Biden aides for possible preemptive pardons, according to Politico. (Getty Images)
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“I think without question Trump is going to try to act in an authoritarian, fascistic, vengeful way.” [way his] “The first year … against someone who I believe has caused harm to me,” Markey said on Boston Public Radio after his November election victory. [revenge] If that is the president’s intent, I would encourage President Biden to grant people preemptive pardons, because that’s what our country really needs next year.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
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