
Donald Trump has issued a pointed warning to Joe Biden criticizing his predecessor’s decision not to grant himself a pre-emptive pardon before leaving office, in his first interview after taking the office for the second time. On Thursday, Trump told Fox News, “This guy went around giving everybody pardons, and the funny thing, or maybe the sad thing, is he didn’t give himself a pardon.” If you look at it, it was all about him.
During his presidency, Biden issued pre-emptive pardons to several individuals, including his siblings, their spouses, and close political allies like Dr. Anthony Fauci and retired Gen. Mark Milley. Biden had said that the pardons were aimed at shielding them from politically motivated attacks.
One of those pardoned was Biden’s son, who faced federal charges for tax and gun crimes. At the time, Biden defended his actions, saying, “The issuance of these pardons should not be interpreted as an acknowledgement that they engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be interpreted as an admission of guilt for any offense.”
Trump hinted that this decision not to pardon himself would make him an easy target for investigations or lawsuits from the present administration. Trump indicated during his campaign that he intended to utilize the Justice Department in investigating political adversaries, among whom were individuals involved in past cases against him.