Trump Seems to Think Biden Made an Unfortunate Last-Minute Mistake by Pardoning His Family, But Not Himself
In an explosive Oval Office interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, President Donald Trump delivered a stark message about Joe Biden’s pardon decisions, suggesting the former president may have made a critical oversight by not pardoning himself before leaving office.
During the wide-ranging conversation, Trump addressed Biden’s recent wave of preemptive pardons, which extended to family members, Jan. 6 committee members and key political figures.
“And you know what the funny thing, maybe the sad thing is – he didn’t give himself a pardon,” Trump remarked, adding ominously, “And you look at it, it all had to do with him.”
The statement comes amid heightened political tensions, with Trump having faced four criminal cases since leaving office in 2021.
Trump maintains that Biden’s Justice Department was weaponized against him and fellow Republicans, despite the department’s mandate to operate independently from White House influence.
Trump revealed that during his first term, he rejected advice to issue broad pardons.
“I was given the option, they said sir would you like to pardon everybody, including yourself. I said I’m not going to pardon anybody, we didn’t do anything wrong,” Trump stated.
He noted that this decision led to consequences for his allies, with several facing legal challenges and imprisonment.
Daily Mail reported that among those affected were Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro, both of whom served prison terms for contempt of Congress.
Bannon, Trump’s former political strategist, completed a four-month sentence just before the 2024 election after defying a subpoena related to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack investigation.
The imprisonment marked a significant moment in the ongoing political fallout from the events of Jan. 6.
Navarro’s case proved particularly noteworthy, as he became the first former Trump White House official to be imprisoned for contempt of Congress.
His four-month incarceration, which concluded in July, highlighted the serious consequences faced by those who refused to comply with Congressional investigations.
Before departing the White House, Trump did exercise his pardon power selectively, granting clemency to several close associates.
These included Roger Stone, Paul Manafort and Charles Kushner, the father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, according to Daily Mail.
These pardons sparked considerable debate at the time but pale in comparison to the scope of Biden’s recent actions.
The recent pardons issued by Biden have drawn intense scrutiny from House Republicans, with Speaker Mike Johnson announcing plans for a comprehensive investigation.
The pardons covered an unprecedented range of individuals, including Biden’s siblings and their spouses, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, Sen. Adam Schiff and Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Fauci’s inclusion in the pardon list has particularly energized conservative critics, who have long criticized his role in shaping COVID-19 policies during both the Trump and Biden administrations.
His guidance on lockdowns and other preventive measures became a lightning rod for controversy among right-wing politicians and media figures.
The House investigation into Biden’s pardons promises to be particularly significant given that some of those pardoned, including members of the House select Jan. 6 committee, continue to serve in Congress.
While former Republican committee members Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger are no longer in office, several Democratic members remain active in the House, potentially setting up complex political dynamics as the investigation unfolds.
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