Aides of President Joe Biden are debating whether the outgoing Democratic president should issue preemptive pardons for figures President-elect Donald Trump has named as his political enemies.
Politico reported Wednesday that among those being discussed for blanket pardons are former GOP Rep.
Liz Cheney, Sen.-elect Adam Schiff and Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Biden - who has been busy dealing with the fallout from his decision to pardon his son Hunter over gun and tax crimes - hasn't been brought into the discussions yet, the outlet said.
Fauci, the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, received much of the brunt from conservatives for the Trump administration's bungled response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of Trump's top allies on Capitol Hill, GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, has repeatedly called on Fauci to be jailed.
'You should be prosecuted for crimes against humanity. You belong in prison, Dr. Fauci,' she said during one Congressional hearing.
During Trump's first run at the White House, his supporters repeatedly chanted 'lock her up!' about Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton over her decision to use a private email server while serving as secretary of State.
But Trump never took action once in office.
The conversations were spurred by Trump’s repeated threats and quiet lobbying by congressional Democrats, though not by those seeking pardons themselves.
“The beneficiaries know nothing,” one well-connected Democrat told me about those who could receive pardons.
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What is Fauci vulnerable on? Well, at a minimum, what’s called a “1001” change - lying to federal officials - for the footsie he played about gain-of-function work and his relationship with coronavirus researcher Ralph Baric.
It's not like spineless Republicans would ever actually prosecute them. They've repeatedly proven that they're unwilling to use power to hold anyone accountable. They're going to pass corporate tax cuts and send more money to Israel, nothing more.
Lying to Congress should be an easy one.
Realistically -- what are the odds he is ever prosecuted for any of this? He's turning 84 in two weeks. Has to be zero odds he's ever incarcerated. The potential protection seems largely one of convenience.
This would be a good way to destroy confidence in public health for a generation
Did he do something illegal that he needs to be pardoned for? And don’t you actually need to be convicted of something to be pardoned?
Fauci funded covid research, lied about it, and then destroyed Society to cover his own *** He should rot in jail
I’m going to leave that first question alone. Read the new released evidence.
Evidently yes you can be pardoned without a conviction.
@87K2G6YGun Rights1yr1Y
I’m putting it out there that Biden’s pardon list is going to read like the Washington phone book.
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