In the waning days of any presidency there is a scurry of activities to complete an agenda, most prominently the issuance of pardons. With Donald Trump vowing to exact revenge on his enemies—real and imagined—President Biden has an opportunity to thwart his successor’s evil intent.
Joe Biden should issue blanket pre-emptive pardons to all those suspected to be in Trump’s and attorney general designate Matt Gaetz’s crosshairs.
Biden should definitively state there is no reason to believe any of those pardoned did anything illegal, but the need to shield them from an unwarranted and costly assault on their integrity requires him to act presumptively and pre-emptively.
These pardons should include special counsel Jack Smith and his entire legal team;
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her legal team;
Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss;
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger;
New York Attorney General Letitia James;
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg;
New York Judge Juan Merchan;
Attorney General Merrick Garland;
Retired generals, admirals and cabinet members who criticized Trump, including John Kelly, Mark A. Milley, James Mattis, H.R. McMaster, Stanley McChrystal, Mark Esper, Mike Mullen, James Stavridis;
Former diplomats, law enforcement and intelligence officials including John Bolton, John Brennan, James Robert Clapper Jr., James Comey, Susan Rice;
Witnesses against Trump including Cassidy Jacqueline Hutchinson, Alexander Vindman;
Former Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger;
Former Vice President Dick Cheney;
Senator-elect Adam Schiff;
Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin; Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton;
Dr. Anthony Fauci;
Former President Barack and Michelle Obama;
Hunter Biden;
James and Francis Biden;
And finally, Himself.
By selecting Gaetz to be attorney general Trump has confirmed his disdain for the rule of law. By presaging his intention to pardon those convicted of impeding democracy and attacking the Capitol on January 6, 2021, Trump has dismissed judicial norms and respect for our legal system.
Will Biden seize the moment? Three times during his half century of service to the country he has failed to. As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee he did not exert his power to deny Clarence Thomas a seat on the Supreme Court. As president he did not exert his influence on Attorney General Garland to speedily investigate and prosecute Trump for his actions after the 2020 election. And, he did not fulfill his commitment to be a transitional one-term president, hampering the Democratic Party’s chances in the 2024 election.
He now has a fourth opportunity to rise to the moment.
The only way to avoid Russian-style show trials is for Biden to chop off Trump’s vile retribution action before it can poison our nation.